WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Further improvements at the county’s newest park top the list of work planned this summer by the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department.
Director Jaymes MacDonald said a considerable amount of time has been spent at Kettles Park over the past six months, with efforts centering on improving its trail network.
Acquired in 2021 through state grants and a land donation, Kettles Park is in the southeast corner of Fabius Township, on the east side of U.S. 131 and just south of the M-60 interchange.
Starting last fall, through the winter and into spring, MacDonald and his only other full-time employee, Mark Harter, have completed a trail system and constructed a pair of 14-foot bridges at the 60-acre Kettles Park.
A total of about three miles of trails were cut over the winter, leading to the creation of an outer trail and an inner trail, MacDonald said.
MacDonald said he would like to eventually develop a boardwalk to provide a resting point for paddlers on the St. Joseph River.
Other projects either recently completed or on tap include developing a bike trail at Plumb Lake County Park, creating two pickleball courts at Meyer Broadway Park, and a bathroom and pavilion project at Rawson’s King Mill Park in Leonidas Township.
