Middlebury, Goshen trail projects get boost

May 17—GOSHEN — Trail upkeep and expansion projects in Goshen and Middlebury got some additional support Thursday from the Elkhart County Council.

At its Thursday meeting, the council considered and approved an interlocal agreement between the County Highway Department and the city for bidding on a paving project for the Pumpkinvine Trail, portions of which are both in the city of Goshen and in the county.

"The city, under this agreement, would be responsible for all the funding," County Attorney Craig Buche told the council during a project overview. The council later verified that this funding would be not just for the portion of the Pumpkinvine, which is in city limits, but the entire trail, with the highway department administering the project.

The council also approved a similar agreement for funding the River Mill Trail Project in Middlebury. Specifically, this would connect a number of existing trails, and the agreement was in follow up to one the council discussed in March.

A total of $1,885,743 in funding would be allocated for the Middlebury project, with $200,000 coming from Elkhart County and additional funding from the Elkhart County Community Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Indiana.

Both measures passed unanimously.

The council also approved appropriations for Elkhart Community Corrections, the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office, Health Department and others. Reductions, from the County Surveyor's Office and the Health Department, totaled $418,054.73, and transfers between Health, the Assessor's Office and the Elkhart County Judiciary, specifically for the school lunch program, totaled $6,729.

To view the meeting in its entirety, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRi-8biJaZI&t=1s.

Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.