Trine, Angola team up on $4 million trail project
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Trine University and the city of Angola are partnering to build a 3.5-mile recreational and nature trail designed to enhance the quality of life in the northeast Indiana city.
The $4 million project, being funded by a grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., will be open to university students and employees, as well as members of the greater Angola community.
“We feel like this trail provides the community, provides our university staff, faculty and students and families, just a great opportunity to gather, to enjoy the beautiful nature in Angola, and to continue to learn together and to grow together as well,” said Trine Executive Vice President Tony Kline.
The trail will follow the property line of Trine’s campus around Zollner Golf Course and along the historic Fox Lake, the university said. About 80% of the trail will go through wooded areas with boardwalks and bridges over streams, creeks and rolling terrain.
Kline said the overall goal is to build a larger sense of community, especially for new Trine students.
“The more familiar that students who are coming from all over the country, in some cases, all over the world, they get more integrated within the community,” he said. “They get to see the beautiful nature that surrounds Angola, and our community members then get to interact with with them as well. And so there will be a plenty of connectivity and opportunities to connect over that 3.5 mile trail that going into the future.”
Kline added that the trail will provide opportunities for use by athletic teams, as well as outdoor educational classrooms.
The partners are using a portion of the $17.2 million grant awarded in August 2024 by Lilly Endowment through its College and Community Collaboration initiative. Angola Mayor Dave Martin said the trail project represents a win-win for the city and the university.
“We do have a lot of visitors coming from the state park into our community through the trail system, walking, biking, and this will just add to the ability for them to see more of our more of our community,” Martin said.
Trine has selected Indianapolis-based Butler Fairman and Seufert to design the trail. Construction will begin this fall and is set for completion next spring.
When complete, the trail will connect to the larger Poka-Bache Trail system, which will ultimately run through Steuben, DeKalb, Allen and Wells counties and connect to Pokagon State Park in Angola and Ouabache State Park in Bluffton.