"Unfortunately, we did not hit our funding goal of $50,000 and will not receive the matching grant through IHCDA CreatINg Places." The Town of North Webster posted that update on October 1, 2026, the day after its park crowdfunding campaign closed.
That message reads like bad news for the park on Webster Lake. But six weeks earlier, the same project had already picked up $600,000 from two other sources. The crowdfunding was the one piece that depended on residents giving directly, and it was the smallest piece in play. Nobody is asking whether Town Park gets its upgrade. The useful questions are how much of the plan gets built and when the work starts, and so far the town hasn't announced an answer to either.
Where the money actually came from
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, the North Webster Town Council heard that the park project had received a $500,000 grant through the Community Amenities Program and a separate $100,000 Lake and River Enhancement grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Two days later, on Thursday, Aug. 20, representatives of OrthoWorx and the K21 Health Foundation presented the $500,000 award at a gathering in town.
That larger grant has an unusual origin for a lakeside park. The Community Amenities Program is part of the $30 million Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative grant. K21 administers it, and it pays for quality-of-life projects in Kosciusko County's smaller communities. In other words, money from an orthopedic industry retention grant is paying for a new playground and pavilion work on Webster Lake.
Here is how the reported funding stacks up as of early October 2026:
| Source | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Community Amenities Program, OrthoWorx and K21 Health Foundation | $500,000 | Awarded Aug. 20, 2026 |
| Indiana DNR Lake and River Enhancement grant | $100,000 | Reported to council Aug. 18, 2026 |
| Patronicity crowdfunding campaign | $10,182 of a $50,000 goal | Closed Sept. 30, 2026 |
| IHCDA CreatINg Places match | $0 of a possible $50,000 | Lost when the goal was missed |
Counting everything reported so far, the project has about $610,000. If the campaign had hit its goal, the total would have been $700,000. The missed match is about 7 percent of that potential total. That's real money for a town project, but it doesn't undo the grants already awarded. The town has not published a total project budget, so nobody outside Town Hall can say yet what that 7 percent actually buys or cuts.
What the money is meant to change at the water's edge
Visit Kosciusko County describes Town Park & Beach today as a small sandy beach with an adult swing, a picnic shelter that hosts music and picnics, and public boat piers. The Dixie sternwheeler's dock and Lakeview Pizza King sit next door. This past summer the town ordered sand for the beach, and Music in the Park ran Friday nights at 7.
The project InkFreeNews announced in August has four parts:
- Dredging the shoreline along Town Park to improve public access to Webster Lake
- New playground equipment
- Upgrades to the park pavilion
- Two large murals honoring North Webster's history and lake heritage
The stated goal is to strengthen the link between the lakefront and downtown North Webster, and to tie the park more closely to local businesses and gathering spaces.
The planning started before any of these grants. In November 2025, the town council signed an agreement with HWC Engineering for engineering work on the park, including a concept built from data and community input. A public meeting followed at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the North Webster Community Center. Residents could ask for amenities and see a possible layout, and the Webster Lake Conservation Association came to discuss dredging on Webster Lake. The August grant release says the work follows the town's recently completed park plan.
The one part that was up to the town
The crowdfunding campaign was called "America 250 in North Webster: Art, Parks, and Community Renewal." Its main pitch was public art. It promised two professionally designed murals, and possibly more, in highly visible spots around town. Each would tell a different part of the town's story, including lake traditions, small-town roots, historic landmarks, and the people who built the community. Park improvements were the campaign's second goal.
The rules were all or nothing on the match. If the campaign raised $50,000, IHCDA would match it dollar for dollar. On Sept. 15, the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber gave the council a $5,000 check for the campaign. When the campaign closed on Sept. 30, it had $10,182 from 17 patrons, or 21 percent of the goal. That means the Chamber's check alone made up nearly half of everything raised.
The town's Oct. 1 update says contributions will still go toward the overall project, and anyone who wants a refund can ask for one. Leigh Anne Jessop, North Webster's clerk-treasurer, ran the campaign and is listed as its contact at 574-834-7894.
What the town hasn't announced yet
As of Oct. 4, 2026, no public coverage answers these questions:
- The total project budget. The council heard the grant amounts in August, but no overall cost has been reported.
- How the lost match will be covered. The town has said only that donations still go to the project, not whether the scope will change.
- The dredging timeline. No permit status, bid, or construction schedule has been announced for the shoreline work.
- Where the murals will go and who will paint them. The campaign promised highly visible locations but named no walls and no artists.
- When residents will see construction. No start date has been set for the playground, the pavilion, or any other part of the work.
Answers will most likely come out at Town Council meetings, which have been held at the North Webster Community Center. So far, InkFreeNews coverage of those meetings has been the best place to follow the project.
The park between seasons
The Dixie's 2026 schedule ends the lake season next door to the park. It has a 3 p.m. Sunday cruise on Oct. 11 and a last public cruise on Saturday, Oct. 17, with the time still to be announced and Sunday, Oct. 18, held as a rain date. The farmers market run by the Chamber and the North Webster Lions Club meets on the second Saturday of each month from June through October, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mermaid Festival Grounds. On the 2026 calendar, that puts the final market on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The project is meant to link the park with downtown, and Main Street has changed this year too. Pass the Cookies opened at 728 S. Main St. in April. Barefoot Cottage moved from Pierceton to 221 N. Main St. in March. Gloss House, Ryea Fuller's expansion of Studio 51, opened Sept. 29 at 614 N. Main St. The River Coffeehouse is at 127 N. Main St.
Better walking connections are coming more slowly than the park. The council approved a $13,000 contract with USI Consultants to design a pedestrian and bicycle path, starting with a first phase inside town limits. A separate group is working on a trail around Tippecanoe Lake. A May report on the SR 13 east-side sidewalk expected preliminary work this fall and construction sometime in 2028.
Dates on the local calendar this fall:
- Oct. 10: October's second Saturday and the final farmers market on the Chamber's June-through-October schedule, Mermaid Festival Grounds, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Oct. 17: The Dixie's last public cruise, time to be announced, with Oct. 18 as the rain date
- Oct. 30: Indoor Trunk or Treat, 6 to 8 p.m., North Webster Community Church, 302 N. Main St.
- Oct. 31: Town trick-or-treat hours, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 21: The Chamber's annual Christmas Tree Lighting, with time and venue not yet posted
The money for dredging, a new playground, pavilion work, and two murals has mostly been awarded. The details that are still open will most likely come up at future council meetings.
If you're weighing what a stronger connection between Webster Lake and downtown could mean for a home near Town Park, Deb Paton Showley Group keeps track of North Webster's projects as they move from grant to construction. We're glad to talk through what's confirmed, what's still pending, and how it fits your plans on the lake.
