Syracuse Trails Committee Fields Questions From Community
By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews
SYRACUSE — The Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee held a community engagement meeting on Wednesday evening to provide an opportunity for the public to discuss the recently released feasibility study commissioned by the group.
While the gathering inside the Syracuse Community Center was sparse, the questions and concerns posed were plentiful.
The panel included members of the committee, appearing both in person and virtually through a Zoom call. Also present were representatives from USI Consulting, the Indianapolis-based firm that conducted the feasibility study, which was commissioned in early 2021 and released last December.
Syracuse-Wawasee Trail Executive Director Erlene Yentes was on-hand to moderate the meeting, which included aPowerPoint presentation highlighting the history and mission of the organization. She also provided an outline of what was contained in the report, copies of which are available for public review at both the Syracuse Public Library and the Syracuse Community Center.
Attendees were given a printed matrix that provided a financial breakdown of the various proposed trail sections, including allowances for inflation. Twelve miles of additional trails were included in the study, which would double the length of the existing track.
Concerns brought to the table included concerns about the “Crazy Corners” intersection south of Wawasee High School, and how an expansion of the trail would be routed in that area to ensure the safety of users. Others at the meeting expressed more concerns about how trail construction might affect their property in terms of infrastructure such as septic tanks and drainage systems.
Other questions included how the trail was to be maintained and who would be liable in the case of injury. Yentes said that Syracuse-Wawasee Trail does carry liability insurance and that any future trail sections would also fall under that umbrella. She also noted that the committee is developing a trail maintenance program to handle any repair issues.
Ben Beer of USI assuaged many of the concerns by emphasizing that the feasibility study was far from a completed plan for expansion. While it provides a very detailed study of the proposed construction, he noted that a much more in-depth study and planning would go into the construction once a particular section of the trail was funded and chosen for building.
“The current trail took 20 years to complete,” said Trail Committee Chairperson Kay Young. “It’s possible that some of the people in this room won’t even be around to see the completion of what’s in this study.”
It was also emphasized that any groundbreaking of any of the proposed trail expansion was some time away. Young noted that the funding for the expansion, which is estimated at approximately $1 million per mile, was not currently a reality. It also was noted that none of the funding for the trail comes directly from taxpayer dollars.
Community members are encouraged to personally review the results of the feasibility study. People also are encouraged to stop by the Syracuse-Wawasee Trail office, located at 813 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, to speak with Yentes and ask any questions. The public also is invited to attend any of the Trails Committee meetings, which also take place at that address at 6 p.m. the third Monday of each month. Yentes also can be reached at the office by calling (574) 675-6433.