Residents OK with new road; park board also mentions mountain bike trail in near future

Monday evening, members of the Dubois County Park Board met with homeowners who live along the proposed emergency entrance to the Dubois County Park.

Only two board members were present — president Jason Schmitt and secretary Jane Betz — for the meeting that 11 property owners attended at the annex building on the county park property.

By the end of the hour and fifteen minute meeting, it was apparent that all of those present were placated by the proposed route for a road that would lead to the new gated entrance.

Getting there was a different story.

As soon as Schmitt unrolled a map showing potential plans for the entrance to the park prior to the meeting, he was approached by Michael Gogel, a property-owner along 75S, who was interested in the county continuing the improved road east through county property to Highway 162. Gogel stated the amount of traffic along 75S has steadily increased due to it being the only north route for residents heading to Jasper for work.

Gogel was concerned about the potential for further development in the area, but Schmitt told him the issue was a matter for the county commissioners and council, not the park board.

The road to appeasement on Monday night began a bit rocky as Schmitt found himself having to calm Carol Martin, a visibly irritated property owner. Martin stated she just wanted to know what the county’s plan was with the road. She explained that meetings among different individuals had occurred along her property. “No one will tell me anything,” she told Schmitt.

Schmitt presented a history of how the board had got to this point. He explained that for the 20 years he had been on the park board, they had discussed the 40-acres of woodland belonging to Dorothy Blessinger as a potential expansion for the park. According to Schmitt, this land would allow the park to develop the emergency entrance and allow room for further development of the facilities.

Blessinger approached the county about the sale of the property about two years ago and after a year of negotiations, the county purchased the 40-acres of woodland and a 6-acre plot adjacent to a residence along the private lane for over $400,000.

The park board met with property owners in November last year to gauge their acquiescence to giving the county the right-of-way to improve the private rock lane in front of their homes to complete the emergency access road to the campgrounds. The property owners were skeptical of allowing the county the right-of-way without seeing the plans for how the new road would impact their properties if completed.

The property owners by and large agreed that the private lane needed to be improved and they would like to see it become a county road for the benefits of postal and bus services along the nearly half-mile stretch.

The county began plans for the improvements but the county council raised concerns about the cost of the improved road. Initial estimates including engineering costs put it at a little under $375,000 for a paved road to the emergency entrance. The council wouldn’t approve the funds and the county commissioners decided to wait to solidify the proposed improvements before proceeding.

In the meantime, the county is still in negotiations with Fred Brockman, the owner of the first quarter mile of the private lane. According to residents along the lane, Brockman sold them the properties along the lane with plans to improve the road but it never happened.

Brockman and the county have yet to reach an agreement on the private lane that is about 16 feet wide along the quarter mile. The county doesn’t want to build a road beside the private lane and according to County Commissioner Larry Vollmer, who attended the meeting, the county is continuing attempts to procure it.

Schmitt showed the property owners the two proposed routes for the road to the park property. The most likely route would be about half a mile long and end in a cul-de-sac before entering into the park property. The road would be 24 feet wide and encompass the existing private lane with improvements made to the north side of the road along the county property.

He assured those present that they would see a finalized plan for the route before they signed over the right-of-way for the road.

According to county engineer Jason Heile, the two proposals (annotated in the map) have a preliminary estimated cost of $215,000 (about a quarter mile of chip and seal with a rock road into the property) to $230,000 (about a half-mile chip and seal with a rock road into the property) to complete the road.

During the meeting, Schmitt unveiled some future county park improvements. He stated that with the completion of the emergency entrance rock road in the park, the park board has discussed moving the primitive camping and adding modern camping sites along the new road.  The primitive camping would be moved to the west into the middle of the 40-acre former-Blessinger property.

The park board is also considering the addition of a mountain bike and hiking loop around the new property. “It would be low-hanging fruit. It would be easy to construct.” Schmitt said. “It would be around the perimeter and if we developed more in the future, it wouldn’t be in the way.”

According to Schmitt, once the emergency road issue is resolved the park board plans on pursuing those improvements.

Schmitt plans on approaching the council about the proposals at their next regular meeting scheduled for 4:30 p.m.,  August 26 at the County Council Chambers, Dubois County Annex, 602 Main Street, Jasper.