County Moves Ahead With CR 350W Project
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The Kosciusko County Commissioners will proceed with the first phase of a proposed bypass around the west side of Warsaw, beginning with road work on CR 350W.
For several years, the county has had federal funds for the project.
The funds are divided into three phases - phase 1 is $800,000, phase 2 is $280,000 and phase 3 is $2.12 million.
The funds were secured in 1996 before Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson came on board. The project was put on hold at that time, Ladson said Tuesday, adding that he was unaware why the project was delayed.
In 1995, the county looked at eventually linking the CR 350W project with Ind. 25 and then extending it to Ind. 15, essentially creating a bypass around the west side of Warsaw, linking U.S. 30 and Ind. 15.
The initial project will include an upgrade of CR 350W to U.S. 30; construction of a new road and bridge from Old 30 to Park Schramm Road over the Tippecanoe River; and construction of a new road from Park Schramm Road to Crystal Lake Road, including an overpass for the railroad.
Previously, Ladson said, the county highway department had the option of doing all the work in phases, doing a portion of the work, or not taking any of the federal money and doing the work on CR 350W with local money.
If federal money is used, the product will be superior, he said, but costs will be more. Also, if they go with the federal funding, they may be able to receive more money for the project from the Indiana department of commerce.
Tuesday, the commissioners reaffirmed they would proceed as they originally planned in Jan. 1996 when they received the grant - they're planning to do all three of the phases.
County commissioner Brad Jackson was not present at the meeting, but prepared a statement which said, "Based on the current information and input I have received I recommend the following: Proceed with phase one. I believe we need this for current and future industry.
"Seek public input on phase two and three, I believe we need this for the future. If we wait until we need the road, we are too late.
"It is my understanding it will take approximately 10 years to complete all three phases. With this time frame, I would want to see us budget money each year for the project so that it would not put the county in debt. As far as local or federal money, I would want to review the numbers first. We need to look at the difference on the product we are getting versus cost. We also need to remember that federal money is still our tax dollars."
Snow emergencies in Kosciusko County can only be issued by the Kosciusko County Commissioners.
Tuesday, county Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine told the commissioners he wanted to make it clear that the commissioners, not the sheriff, are responsible for issuing snow emergencies.
Bids for a bridge, structure CS5, on North Railroad Ave., Syracuse, were opened. The county agreed to pay for the cost with cumulative bridge funds even though the structure is in Syracuse.
The lowest bid was made by R.L. McCoy for $54,535, with the other bid made by Beer & Slabaugh for $57,382. The bids will be reviewed by Ladson before being awarded.
Commissioners signed a contract with Seneca Petroleum for 250,000 tons of chip and seal material for the highway department at a cost of $140,000. Seneca Petroleum was the lowest of three bidders.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Appointed Kurt Carlson to serve on a wage committee for Warsaw Community Schools' air conditioning project at Lakeview Middle School.
• Ladson presented the commissioners with a list of 2001 emergency call numbers.
He also told them the cost for instalflation of stop signs at railroad crossings throughout the county will be $18,000. The county received a grant of up to $34,000 for the work. The remaining money will be returned to the state.
• Preliminary accepted Atlantis Villas, a 14-lot residential subdivision where the former Warsaw Drive-In was on Old Road 30, for county maintenance.
• Gave final approval to the Wausau subdivision for county maintenance.
• Accepted the 44-foot Logan Street bridge in Warsaw for county maintenance.
• Signed a contract with Dr. Mark Jensen to serve as the county jail physician.
• Signed a consultant agreement with Schneider Corp., Indianapolis, for the county's Geographical Information Services.
• Signed service agreements with The Beaman Home, Home Health Care, The Cardinal Center, juvenile shelter and Council on Aging and the Aged.
• Appointed Dan Richard as area plan director; Matt Sandy as area plan director assistant; Kevin McSherry to the Area Plan Commission; Walter Church to the Board of Zoning Appeals; Robert W. Knudsen to Arrowhead RC&D and county health department board; Ron Robinson as county administrator; Nanette Newland as county administrator secretary; Mike Miner as county attorney; Dr. William Remington as county health officer; Rob Ladson as highway superintendent; Dennis Pletcher, county highway assistant; Maurice McDaniel, drainage board; Bill Holder, GIS; Elsworth Everest, local emergency preparedness; Don Taylor, maintenance; Jon Roberts, St. Joseph River Basin; Bob Momeyer, systems administrator; Paul Henning, systems administrator assistant; Tom Everett, veteran officer; and J.D. Geiger, weights and measurers.
• Postponed Stanley and Melody Rensberger's petition to rezone their property from an agricultural district to a residential district to the Jan. 16 meeting.
The property is on the south side of Bowser Road and west of CR 300E in Van Buren Township.
• County commissioner Eddie Creighton was recognized for his years of service to the board. He did not run for re-election this year. Ron Truex will take his seat. Other county commissioners are Jackson and Avis Gunter. [[In-content Ad]]
The Kosciusko County Commissioners will proceed with the first phase of a proposed bypass around the west side of Warsaw, beginning with road work on CR 350W.
For several years, the county has had federal funds for the project.
The funds are divided into three phases - phase 1 is $800,000, phase 2 is $280,000 and phase 3 is $2.12 million.
The funds were secured in 1996 before Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson came on board. The project was put on hold at that time, Ladson said Tuesday, adding that he was unaware why the project was delayed.
In 1995, the county looked at eventually linking the CR 350W project with Ind. 25 and then extending it to Ind. 15, essentially creating a bypass around the west side of Warsaw, linking U.S. 30 and Ind. 15.
The initial project will include an upgrade of CR 350W to U.S. 30; construction of a new road and bridge from Old 30 to Park Schramm Road over the Tippecanoe River; and construction of a new road from Park Schramm Road to Crystal Lake Road, including an overpass for the railroad.
Previously, Ladson said, the county highway department had the option of doing all the work in phases, doing a portion of the work, or not taking any of the federal money and doing the work on CR 350W with local money.
If federal money is used, the product will be superior, he said, but costs will be more. Also, if they go with the federal funding, they may be able to receive more money for the project from the Indiana department of commerce.
Tuesday, the commissioners reaffirmed they would proceed as they originally planned in Jan. 1996 when they received the grant - they're planning to do all three of the phases.
County commissioner Brad Jackson was not present at the meeting, but prepared a statement which said, "Based on the current information and input I have received I recommend the following: Proceed with phase one. I believe we need this for current and future industry.
"Seek public input on phase two and three, I believe we need this for the future. If we wait until we need the road, we are too late.
"It is my understanding it will take approximately 10 years to complete all three phases. With this time frame, I would want to see us budget money each year for the project so that it would not put the county in debt. As far as local or federal money, I would want to review the numbers first. We need to look at the difference on the product we are getting versus cost. We also need to remember that federal money is still our tax dollars."
Snow emergencies in Kosciusko County can only be issued by the Kosciusko County Commissioners.
Tuesday, county Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine told the commissioners he wanted to make it clear that the commissioners, not the sheriff, are responsible for issuing snow emergencies.
Bids for a bridge, structure CS5, on North Railroad Ave., Syracuse, were opened. The county agreed to pay for the cost with cumulative bridge funds even though the structure is in Syracuse.
The lowest bid was made by R.L. McCoy for $54,535, with the other bid made by Beer & Slabaugh for $57,382. The bids will be reviewed by Ladson before being awarded.
Commissioners signed a contract with Seneca Petroleum for 250,000 tons of chip and seal material for the highway department at a cost of $140,000. Seneca Petroleum was the lowest of three bidders.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Appointed Kurt Carlson to serve on a wage committee for Warsaw Community Schools' air conditioning project at Lakeview Middle School.
• Ladson presented the commissioners with a list of 2001 emergency call numbers.
He also told them the cost for instalflation of stop signs at railroad crossings throughout the county will be $18,000. The county received a grant of up to $34,000 for the work. The remaining money will be returned to the state.
• Preliminary accepted Atlantis Villas, a 14-lot residential subdivision where the former Warsaw Drive-In was on Old Road 30, for county maintenance.
• Gave final approval to the Wausau subdivision for county maintenance.
• Accepted the 44-foot Logan Street bridge in Warsaw for county maintenance.
• Signed a contract with Dr. Mark Jensen to serve as the county jail physician.
• Signed a consultant agreement with Schneider Corp., Indianapolis, for the county's Geographical Information Services.
• Signed service agreements with The Beaman Home, Home Health Care, The Cardinal Center, juvenile shelter and Council on Aging and the Aged.
• Appointed Dan Richard as area plan director; Matt Sandy as area plan director assistant; Kevin McSherry to the Area Plan Commission; Walter Church to the Board of Zoning Appeals; Robert W. Knudsen to Arrowhead RC&D and county health department board; Ron Robinson as county administrator; Nanette Newland as county administrator secretary; Mike Miner as county attorney; Dr. William Remington as county health officer; Rob Ladson as highway superintendent; Dennis Pletcher, county highway assistant; Maurice McDaniel, drainage board; Bill Holder, GIS; Elsworth Everest, local emergency preparedness; Don Taylor, maintenance; Jon Roberts, St. Joseph River Basin; Bob Momeyer, systems administrator; Paul Henning, systems administrator assistant; Tom Everett, veteran officer; and J.D. Geiger, weights and measurers.
• Postponed Stanley and Melody Rensberger's petition to rezone their property from an agricultural district to a residential district to the Jan. 16 meeting.
The property is on the south side of Bowser Road and west of CR 300E in Van Buren Township.
• County commissioner Eddie Creighton was recognized for his years of service to the board. He did not run for re-election this year. Ron Truex will take his seat. Other county commissioners are Jackson and Avis Gunter. [[In-content Ad]]