City Seeks Grant For Bike, Walking Paths
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Warsaw's Board of Works took the first step Friday toward applying for a federal grant to develop a network of local paths that can be used for bicycles, pedestrians, joggers and in-line skaters.
At the request of assistant city planner Jeff Noffsinger, the board gave its approval for Noffsinger to apply for a grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Noffsinger said federal government funds were available to states for such projects, and Indiana qualified for $40 million.
The grant would be for 80 percent of the project cost, and Warsaw would be required to raise the additional 20 percent. Noffsinger said the Bikeway Steering Committee is working on a marketing strategy that would target private entities for the 20 percent and for the engineering fees so tax money would not be used.
The proposed trails would start at the Winona Lake Park and include access to the YMCA, the county fairgrounds and Lakeview Middle School. They would then wind through the city to Center Lake park and beach, and continue west, eventually ending at the City-County Athletic Complex.
The grant application is due at the end of this month, and Noffsinger said he will have a final estimate on the project's cost by then. Warsaw public works superintendent Kim Leake said the cost of the asphalt for approximately 6.5 miles of trails would be close to $120,000.
Even if the grant is submitted, Noffsinger said, "there is no guarantee that we're going to get the grant and no guarantee that we will accept the grant if we get it." Federal grants often come with too many strings attached, he said, to make them economically feasible.
The Board of Works, which operated in the absence of Mayor Ernie Wiggins, also discussed extension of a sewer line to Redeemer Lutheran Church's building site from a line that ends at the corner of Hepler Drive. Since the church is outside city limits, it will pay the cost of extending and taking care of the sewer line.
"I'm not interested in maintaining or accepting the sewer line because it's outside the corporate limits of the city of Warsaw," Leake said. "But the city will accept the sewage."
The sewer line extension will be considered a private line, and the church will be the only authorized user.
Warsaw's Board of Works meets at 8:30 a.m. in the city council chambers on the first and third Fridays of each month. [[In-content Ad]]
Warsaw's Board of Works took the first step Friday toward applying for a federal grant to develop a network of local paths that can be used for bicycles, pedestrians, joggers and in-line skaters.
At the request of assistant city planner Jeff Noffsinger, the board gave its approval for Noffsinger to apply for a grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Noffsinger said federal government funds were available to states for such projects, and Indiana qualified for $40 million.
The grant would be for 80 percent of the project cost, and Warsaw would be required to raise the additional 20 percent. Noffsinger said the Bikeway Steering Committee is working on a marketing strategy that would target private entities for the 20 percent and for the engineering fees so tax money would not be used.
The proposed trails would start at the Winona Lake Park and include access to the YMCA, the county fairgrounds and Lakeview Middle School. They would then wind through the city to Center Lake park and beach, and continue west, eventually ending at the City-County Athletic Complex.
The grant application is due at the end of this month, and Noffsinger said he will have a final estimate on the project's cost by then. Warsaw public works superintendent Kim Leake said the cost of the asphalt for approximately 6.5 miles of trails would be close to $120,000.
Even if the grant is submitted, Noffsinger said, "there is no guarantee that we're going to get the grant and no guarantee that we will accept the grant if we get it." Federal grants often come with too many strings attached, he said, to make them economically feasible.
The Board of Works, which operated in the absence of Mayor Ernie Wiggins, also discussed extension of a sewer line to Redeemer Lutheran Church's building site from a line that ends at the corner of Hepler Drive. Since the church is outside city limits, it will pay the cost of extending and taking care of the sewer line.
"I'm not interested in maintaining or accepting the sewer line because it's outside the corporate limits of the city of Warsaw," Leake said. "But the city will accept the sewage."
The sewer line extension will be considered a private line, and the church will be the only authorized user.
Warsaw's Board of Works meets at 8:30 a.m. in the city council chambers on the first and third Fridays of each month. [[In-content Ad]]