March 28, 2024

Future 500-acre Colfax rec area to make public push during county fair

Park board makes progress in planning stage

COLFAX — At the former Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. gravel quarry — now dubbed the Colfax North Park by the Colfax Park and Recreation Auxiliary Board — nature is begging to reassert itself.

The City of Colfax accepted the 500-acre gravel quarry’s donation from Martin Marietta during its April city council meeting with the operations and development left to the auxiliary park board. It is the future location of an outdoor recreational facility with park leaders exploring plans for hiking, fishing and RV camping among other ideas. The city also approved annexation the property — located at 1208 Highway 117 S. — and additional discussion over the future park is expected at the July 13 council meeting.

But the future park is still closed to the public, and park auxiliary board marketing and promotions chair Connor Jones said a lot of work still needs to be done before people can hit that first trail.

“The first time we came out here as a group and saw it, it was just mind blowing how big it is,” Jones said. “You can look at pictures but you don’t get the scope of it.”

To get the word out, the park’s marketing team will set up a booth during the Jasper County Fair, showcasing conceptual drawings for the facility drafted by students at Iowa State University’s Landscape Architectural studio, previously presented at public meetings early this year. Jones said the board plans to march during the fair parade, sporting T-shirts with an art-deco tree and a graphic reading “The Pit Crew.”

The board is also holding a contest to see who can come up with the most creative name for the complex and eventually drop the “North Park” moniker. To participate, the board is asking both Colfax residents and non-residents to post ideas directly to the park board’s Facebook page, Twitter account @CPRABtweets, or Instagram ColfaxParkProject. Submissions are also being accepted via U.S. mail at Colfax Park and Auxiliary Board, PO Box 72, Colfax, Iowa 50054. Entries must be received or postmarked by July 31.

The top five entries will be announced by a survey given at Colfax Mineral Springs Days for public vote. Jones said the winning entry has a chance to become the park’s brand name, but it’s not guaranteed. The winner, however, will receive a $200 cash prize.

But before the park can open the gates, the nonprofit group is first focusing on basic infrastructure. According to meeting minutes, the group has from June 10 performed structural assessments of existing buildings left by the gravel company. One building requires roof work of $25,000-$30,000. Martin Marietta donated $200,000 along with the $1 million property to help with land and infrastructure reclamation, but labor and materials are expensive, Jones said.

Board president Doug Garrett, committee member Dave Van Dusseldorp and others have been spending their free time at the site painting, cleaning and inspecting electrical hook ups to get the building operations.

Jones said the structures could become part of the park’s permanent functions, used as boat rentals, park offices and equipment storage, but those plans remain undecided. Despite the long process, many Colfax residents want to know, when can they start enjoying all that nature?

“That’s the million dollar question,” Jones said. “Personally and as a group, our goal is to open up — even if it’s just a section of the whole area — a walking trail. It could be primitive paths, gravel or wood chips, but hopefully by the fall. One of our aims was around the first quarter of (the school year). .... What you can expect to see are things that can be changed in the future. We want to have the park open so people can see it, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves before we have our master plan.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@jaspercountytribune.com