The Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board voted to submit letters of intent to the KEDCO cap committee as a pregrant step for two projects: renovation work at Chinworth Bridge Park and a mirror submission of the LOI that Syracuse Wawasee submitted for the South trail extension.

Board members moved and seconded a motion to prepare and submit the LOIs after Amy Rowe explained that the LOI (letter of intent) functions as a preapproval tool. "The LOI is the official tool in which the cap committee...can then approve the project and open it to application," Rowe said. She told the board that the LOI no longer requires a draft budget, has a short character limit, and is meant to confirm whether a project meets cap committee expectations before communities invest in detailed estimates or engineering.

Rowe said the county must attach a letter of support from the county commission to an LOI and that commissioners must sign the supporting letter before a cap committee review can proceed. "In order to do the LOI...we would have to have a letter of support from the county stating that the park board has the approval to be able to submit this project," Rowe said. Board members discussed timing and noted there was some initial confusion about the application deadline; Rowe clarified the LOI process and said the committee had removed the budget requirement to reduce barriers for small towns.

Rob and other board members described two proposed LOIs: one to mirror the submission already filed for Syracuse Wawasee South extension and another new LOI to seek funding for renovation work at the Chinworth Bridge Park trailhead. The board discussed ownership and responsibilities: Rowe said the Kosciusko County Historical Society indicated the park land is owned by the historical society while the bridge itself is believed to be county‑owned; Greg Steffey of the historical society was cited as advising that the county likely should lead the bridge work. A board member urged that, if funding allows, the scope for Chinworth Bridge Park might include additional trailhead or park improvements rather than only the bridge.

A motion that the board prepare and submit the two LOIs was made, seconded and adopted by voice vote. Rob said he would prepare the letters, bring them to the commissioners' meeting on the 29th for required county approval, and submit the LOIs if commissioners sign the letters of support. "If the commissioner's approved, then we will, submit it," Rob said on the record.

Rowe and others said the LOI is short (about 1,000 characters), asks for project name, applicant and how the project meets cap guidelines, and is intended to screen projects for eligibility rather than commit local funds. The board directed staff to draft the two LOIs, coordinate letters of support from the commissioners, and return with finalized materials for submission.