The Northwest Allen County Schools board will likely decide next month whether to sell the county land for a trail along Union Chapel Road.
Representatives from the Allen County Highway Department and Fort Wayne Trails told the board Monday that the district-owned land near Maple Creek Middle School is the final property left to purchase.
The five-member board has resisted the sale because of safety concerns around the 1,000-student school, which has an entrance/exit off Union Chapel.
The board is expected to vote on the issue Jan. 13, Superintendent Wayne Barker said.
The transportation plan has included the Union Chapel Trail route for more than 10 years, said Kent Castleman, Fort Wayne Trails executive director. He shared a map showing the proposed path reaching Metea Park about 6 miles to the east and Carroll High School about 4 miles to the west.
appWhile this seems like a little segment thatapps going through your property, this is a part of a major connector on the northern part of Allen County,app Castleman said.
Fort Wayne Trails is the nonprofit partner that helps develop the local trail system.
Castleman stressed trail routes arenappt selected randomly. They are intentionally planned to build a transportation system.
appI know a lot of people look at our trails as just a recreational opportunity,app Castleman said, appbut they really are a transportation network for people to be able to get to and from important destinations in our community.app
The project would connect about 2,875 households app or about 10,000 people app to the trail system, Castleman said, referencing an area between Corbin and Auburn roads.
Officials plan to move forward with funding opportunities as they arise for the trail, Castleman said.
He said an application for the stateapps Next Level Trails grant program was denied because the county didnappt own all the parcels needed for the new trail. The only parcels it lacked were those owned by NACS.
appWeappre just here to make sure that weappre answering any further questions,app Castleman said.
The board two years ago unanimously rejected the county commissionersapp $63,770 offer for nearly 2 acres of right of way between Corbin and Coldwater roads.
At the time, the board noted safety concerns around Maple Creek. Members cited collisions along the Pufferbelly Trail, including a pedestrian fatality on Carroll Road in 2021.
Board members Monday asked about the installation of a warning light at the school entrance.
Stop signs are generally placed at midblock crossings, not at driveways, Castleman said. He added that practice is consistent throughout the trail system.
Kent Somers, board president, told the presenters he wished they had visited and watched the traffic around the proposed trail site. He described it as dangerous.
appIappm just not a fan of where itapps crossing,app Somers said, acknowledging his opinion was irrelevant because he wonappt be on the board in January. appThatapps my biggest issue.app
Castleman said he understands the traffic around Maple Creek because his daughter attended the school, but he noted the campus also has access to Corbin and Coldwater roads.
appYouappve got a lot of options within your large footprint here to be able to flow traffic in and out,app he said.
