Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Executive Director Erlene Yentes, left, shares a laugh with committee member Jerry Wright during the monthly meeting of the Trails Committee. InkFreeNews photo by Keith Knepp.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — In its first meeting since the “Life Is Better On the Trail” fundraiser, which was held Thursday, Sept. 1, at Blue Barn Berry Farm in Syracuse, the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee gathered for its regular monthly session.

The highlight of the meeting was the announcement by Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Director Erlene Yentes that the second annual fundraiser brought in $21,269 after expenses. That number does not include future pledges, only money collected through ticket sales, a live auction, silent auction and “Raise Your Paddle.”

The committee has begun discussing plans for next year’s event, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 31, 2023.

In other business, Yentes informed the committee that she and Chad Jonsson attended the meeting of the newly-formed Kosciusko County Park Board. Jonsson said the new board is focused in the creation of trails throughout the county.

The committee also discussed the previous suggestion of forming its own 501(c)(3). Currently it falls under the non-profit umbrella of the Syracuse Parks Department. The proposal has been languishing for more than a year, and the board agreed that a decision needed to be made soon whether to follow up on the proposal or continue with the status quo.

Yentes also provided updates on the status of several grants she has been investigating on behalf of the organization.

The board also discussed the ongoing maintenance issues at Conklin Bay. It was agreed that any repairs would wait until after the winter, so as not to subject any new materials to the elements of the season.

The next meeting of the committee will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, at the Trails office, 813 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. The meeting is open to the public.