The Monroe County Parks and Recreation Board approved a proposed five-year master plan for county parks at its March 20 meeting.
The master plan included trail maps, with distances recorded in the legend, for all Flatwoods Park trails.
General improvements, as well as maintenance projects, for specific trails are also set to begin under the plan.
The department will add benches, cut down dead trees, remove brush, sidedress shoulders with gravel, and inspect and renovate the big bridges on the concrete interpretive trail.
It plans to re-cut the grassy southern trail, add a loop, a culvert, and directional signposts to it, and improve the stone crossing.
New paths made of crushed limestone will lead from shelter house No. 3 to the open playing field and from the playground to the basketball court.
A relic from the five-year plan approved in 1998 is also included – the possibility of a 10-acre lake stocked with fish on the south side of the park.
“It is still a possibility,” said Chuck Stephenson, Monroe County Parks and Recreation Department administrator. “But not without a substantial source of funding outside of county government.”
Pending approval from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, work will begin on the park in the summer.
In addition, work is planned for Karst Farm Park, Ferguson Nature Park, and Will Detmer Park.
The county also intends to connect Karst Farm Park, Will Detmer Park, Ivy Tech Community College, the westside industrial area, and the northwest YMCA with a series of trails.
Improvements designed to better align county parks with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be made throughout the next five years.
“Our goal is to provide a fun, clean, and safe park experience. We will concentrate on daily park maintenance and improving recreational opportunities for all,” Stephenson said.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.