JENNINGS COUNTY — Jennings County has invested $1.02 million into revitalizing planned recreational acreage that was once planned as a park area for employees of a former Columbus business.
A new RV campground is scheduled to open next month at the 127-acres Eco Lake Park, located east of State Road 7 and north of Jennings County Road 925 North, according to a news release. A new bathroom/shower house has been constructed near the entrance to the campground, according to an online map posted by the Jennings County Parks and Recreation Department (JCPR).
There are now 24 established RV campsites at Eco Lake Park. The map shows 10 sites offering 50 amps of electricity, while the remaining 14 provide 30 amps.
“We plan to open up in late March, with water to all sites and the bath house around April,” JCPR director Greg Martin said.
Infrastructure improvements also include upgrades to roads, water and septic systems, he said.
In 1982, the land and the nine-acre lake were purchased as a recreational facility for employees of Cosco, Inc. in Columbus. ECO is an acronym for Employees of Cosco. According to published reports, the entire property was valued at about $400,000 when it was originally obtained for a park.
The original concept was to create a facility for Cosco employees that resembled CERAland Park, a one-time recreational area for Cummins Inc. employees located less than five miles away. But that goal was never achieved, the park’s website states.
ECO Park was not owned by a company. It was the property of a group of employees known as the Cosco Recreation Committee. While that group managed the facility for decades, the underdeveloped park experienced low usage. Only fishing, hiking and picnicking were available at the time, according to the park’s website.
The Montreal, Canada-based Dorel Industries purchased Cosco, Inc. in 1988, making the Columbus manufacturing facility a part of the Dorel Juvenile Group.
By 2007, the recreation committee had fallen approximately $4,000 behind in property taxes, and were unable to generate enough funds to maintain the property, Martin said.
Following an interview process, it was determined that the Jennings County Parks and Recreation Department would be the best choice to carry on the original vision of the facility, Martin said.
“One hundred twenty seven acres with a nice lake for $ 4,000 dollars?” Martin said. “Pretty good deal for Jennings, though we were skeptical that the county would want to absorb the property.”
However, even after JCPR accepted the park, the cash-strapped Jennings County government could not afford to provide additional financial resources to its park system.
But grants were obtained from such sources as SIHO Insurance Services, Lowe’s Regional Distribution Center in North Vernon, the Jennings County Community Foundation, the Lilly Endowment and Game-time, Inc, the websites states.
After the facility was handed over to JCPR in 2007, the name was changed to Eco Lake Park to better emphasize the lake, Martin said. Amenities were gradually added over the years, such as a boat ramp in 2009. In 2010, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources accepted Eco Lake as a public access fishing site.
Today, amenities also include a basketball court, sand volleyball, a baseball/softball field, one-and-a-half miles of walking trails and a new playground complex added in 2018, the website states.
Where to learn more
Online camping reservations are open for Eco Lake Park through muscatatuckpark.com. The facility, located off State Road 7 in northwest Jennings County, will open its new campground in late March.
Reservations are necessary. While the web address will soon change to jcparksrec.com, the Muscatatuck address will forward users to the new site.
Where to learn more
Online camping reservations are open for Eco Lake Park through muscatatuckpark.com. The facility, located off State Road 7 in northwest Jennings County, will open its new campground in late March.
Reservations are necessary. While the web address will soon change to jcparksrec.com, the Muscatatuck address will forward users to the new site.
