By the end of a lengthy meeting, the city council had rejected an ordinance regarding gasoline sales, approved a county resident's request to use the sewer system and heard plans to install a lift station in a low alley to carry away standing water.

Tony Silveus, owner of several gas stations in the county, approached the council Monday regarding an amendment to a zoning ordinance.

Following his presentation and much discussion, the proposal was returned to the plan commission.

Silveus played a four-minute video produced by Sprawl-Busters' Al Norman, which showcased examples of "bad" planning regarding gasoline sales stations.

The video filmed sites in other states calling them parking lot stations, with congested traffic patterns and customers waiting in long lines.

Silveus' main objection, and the stated concern of several council members, was language bypassing a hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals, unless the city planner found the proposal controversial in one way or another.

"Other communities seem to be going toward what we're going away from, and that's a special exception," Silveus said.

He also said 100 feet is not an adequate distance from a residential area because the gasoline sales facilities have "lights brighter than the sun."

"I'd like you to table this and return it to the BZA for more research, see what other cities are doing or leave in the special exception," he said.

Councilman Joe Thallemer, a member of the plan commission, said the idea of changing the zoning ordinance came up a year ago, at the same time the Meijer and Wal-Mart proposals came before the commission.

"We didn't want to give the appearance of changing to accommodate them," he said.

Council members Bill Rhoades, Jerry Patterson and Trish Brown said they didn't like the idea of bypassing the BZA either.

"I don't like taking the BZA out of the loop," Patterson said.

A vote to approve the ordinance was defeated with Thallemer, Jeff Grose and Charlie Smith voting for it and Brown, George Clemens, Patterson and Rhoades voting against.

The council unanimously voted to return the document to the plan commission for reinterpretation.

Steve Vector's request to hook onto the city's sewer system was approved, pending an in-lieu-of-annexation agreement and the county's approval of a road cut.

Vector lives just beyond the city line, at the corner of Hepler and Tippecanoe drives. A sewer line runs along the north side of Tippecanoe Drive. A few years ago the residents in that area voted not to be annexed.

A letter from Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Robert Weaver indicates that Vector and his wife, Tamara Arnette, have no other option but to connect to the city's sewer line because of the line's proximity and soil limitations at the site.

Vector said his septic system has sunk 3 feet and he is having the system pumped out every two weeks.

He was advised he might have to pay double a city resident's rate, about $29 per month.

"Twenty-nine dollars?" he said. "That's better than $180 per month."

"I want you to understand this is a health issue," Thallemer said, "an emergency-type situation. There are city residents who want to be on the system and are not."

Vector is to appear before the Board of Works on Friday to sign an in-lieu-of-annexation agreement and to seek permits from Rob Ladson, county highway superintendent and engineer.

The board approved additional electric service to operate a storm water lift station to remove standing water from an east-west alley between East Center and Main streets, from Park Avenue to Hickory Street.

Catch basins are to be installed as well as the lift station along the alley at 535 E. Center St. and the excess water will be carried to a storm drain on Main Street.

In other business the council:

• Approved an ordinance for traffic control creating a no-parking zone on the west side of Indiana Street, from Jefferson Street to Winona Avenue, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Heard the Indiana Housing Finance Authority has applied for funds to build an 80-unit apartment complex at 1751 Husky Trail in Warsaw.

The complex will be called Canterbury House Apartments, and the cost of the project will be $5.6 million.

Thomas E. Herman, Herman Associates Inc., Indianapolis, has been named as owner. Principal for the project is Housing Opportunities of Warsaw/Canterbury House-Warsaw LLC House Investments.

• Heard from Insight Communications vice president Michael Jeffery regarding a new late fee structure. Effective immediately a $4.95 fee will be added to customer's bills who are more than 45 days late with payments.

• Heard from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management regarding the Watershed Restoration Action Strategy for the Tippecanoe River watershed. The city is being asked for information about water quality beyond the draft WRAS. The draft is available on the Internet: www.state.in.us/idem/owm/planbr/wsm/watershed/WtrshdMng/WRAS/TippecanoeWRAS.html

• Received a complimentary letter from pilot Tom Dunn about his positive experience at the Warsaw Municipal Airport.

• Approved a capital improvement plan to build a second wastewater treatment plant and construction of interceptor sewers and other related project costs at a cost of $14.4 million using EDIT funds.

The income tax dollars are also earmarked to renovate the former NIPSCO building for the police department building. These costs are estimated at $750,000.

City council members are: Jerry Patterson, Joe Thallemer, Trish Brown, Jeff Grose, Bill Rhoades, Charles Smith and George Clemens. [[In-content Ad]]