 |
|---|
|
|---|
Museum at Prophetstown received a $500,000 federal grant to continue development of the Kampen Eagle Wing Visitor and Education Center.
Visitors to Indiana's 23rd state park can begin enjoying hiking and bicycle trails beginning in September 2004.
These aspects of the new park will be constructed to bring visitors through 1,600 acres of recreation space and wildlife habitat.
A campground and two picnic areas will open in time for the 2005 recreation season, which traditionally begins in March.
This faster pace comes amid severe state budget constraints, but state and local officials working together crafted a funding package that requires no additional state or DNR money.
DNR Director John Goss said Tippecanoe County leaders, tourism officials and area legislators helped plan a $5.5 million bond issue, which will be paid off through the local innkeeper's tax.
This is paid for by visitors who stay overnight at hotels and bed-and-breakfast facilities. The bond project was approved by the State Budget Committee.
Land acquisition will continue during the first and second phases of development to add another 1,400 acres, including land that borders the junction of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers.
Other big news at the park includes federal funds for the Museum at Prophetstown, which will receive a $500,000 federal transportation enhancement grant to help pay for the park's Kampen Eagle Wing Visitor and Education Center.
The $3.6 million center will include a 180-seat theater, educational classrooms, gift shop, food facilities and more than 6,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Through this program, Indiana receives about $16 million of the $4 billion the federal government distributes to the states over a period of several years, O'Bannon said.
In order to receive a federal transportation enhancement grant, local and state entities generally must contribute a 20 percent match of federal funds.
"But in this case, the local community has stepped up in a way and will provide more than 20 percent of the money -- in fact, more than 50 percent of the money" for the visitor center, O'Bannon said.
The not-for-profit Museum at Prophetstown leases 300 acres on the site, where it is developing educational facilities on American Indians, family farms and the environment.
Next Page