Commissioners hear park update

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners were given an update on a master plan for the county’s newest park during Wednesday’s executive committee meeting.
Suzanne Fromson, representing St. Joseph-based Edgewater Resources, reviewed a number of details related to the six-acre Covered Bridge Farm park before commissioners agreed to put the matter on their agenda for a vote Tuesday next week.
Fromson said the property, located northeast of the Langley Covered Bridge in Lockport Township, is unique because of the many recreation-related opportunities it offers.
She elaborated on plans for a boardwalk and a boat launch, as 1,000 feet of the parcel abuts the St. Joseph River. In addition, the property would be ideal for weddings and social gatherings, she said. It will also become the headquarters for the county’s parks and recreation department.
The county commission last September provided $330,000 for the parks and recreation department to purchase the parcel. The land and its contents – a farmhouse, barn and two outbuildings – were bought from county finance director Joni Smith.
Estimates of its development fall between $800,000 and $1 million.