Commissioners approve river trail master plan

A river trail master plan was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.
The action is a critical step toward St. Joseph County being in a position to showcase and promote its paddling opportunities to canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Put together by St. Joseph-based Edgewater Resources, the master plan was assembled following two public-input sessions during which comments about a river-trail concept were fielded.
In the end, the master plan outlines five key locations where river accessibility for the benefit of paddlers should be developed: the Portage River at Parkville Road in Park Township, the Prairie River at Hoshel Park in Lockport Township, Fawn River at East Fawn River Road in Fawn River Township, and the St. Joseph River at M-66 in Leonidas Township and Withers Road at the border of Florence and Constantine townships.
Commissioner Rick Shaffer encouraged his elected peers to keep the momentum rolling and to follow through on ensuring new sites are, in fact, developed and be made ready for use this summer.
St. Joseph County has about 150 miles of rivers within its borders.