Not long ago, Webber Street simply ran into the waters of Pike Lake.

But now rocks and boulders have been placed at the end of the drive, a decision many surrounding neighbors feel is unfair.

During Warsaw's City Council meeting Monday, Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the rocks had been placed on the end of the street as a safety issue, to prevent vehicles from driving into the lake. However, resident Frances Lane said the barrier blocked neighbor's access to the lake and asked for them to be removed.

"I'm not happy because someone did this without taking the rest of us into consideration," Lane said.

She said that for years, neighbors were allowed to fish, swim and walk the shoreline in the area.

Councilmen questioned whether Lane's deeded property gave her legal access to the lake.

"The lakes are public, and everyone is allowed to use and enjoy the lakes," Councilman Charlie Smith said. "We have parks, recreational areas and access points where you can go and do this legitimately."

The council tabled the matter, with many members saying they would drive to the location to see if a different barrier could be created.

In other matters, additional neighbors of Pike Lake and Spring Hill Acres encouraged the council and deer task force to speed up the process on a solution for the local deer overpopulation.

Paul Grossnickle, Tim Meyer and Charlie Russell each said the deer problems in the neighborhood were getting out of hand, and a faster solution would be greatly appreciated by affected neighbors. One witness from Spring Hill said they saw as many as 47 deer in their yard at one time.

"The deer population is not getting any smaller," Meyer said. "We're willing to work with (the council) to get something accomplished, but we want something accomplished."

Jeff Grose, Joe Thallemer and Bob Morrison, each of the city council and deer task force, said safety and security are the main concerns before any decision can be made.

"I want to make sure we present something to the council that they can approve," Grose said. "We need something that contains enough information, something we can use to both educate the council and educate anyone who questions the actions we could be taking."

The force met twice this year and expect to meet again in May with detailed information on Spring Hill Acres and its deer populations. Grose also said any solution the task force introduces will take years before results could be seen in deer activity.

"This didn't happen overnight, and it's not going to go away overnight. We understand that," Meyer said.

The board also:

• Reviewed March activity for the Warsaw Fire Department. Fifteen fires were reported during the month.

• Announced the 2006 budget levy had been certified for the 2006 fiscal year.

• Approved an ordinance to transfer funds within the Warsaw Police Department for the lease of a department motorcycle.

• Approved a conflict of interest statement for George Clemens involving water treatment products, services and bottled water for Warsaw.

Present for Monday's meeting were Wiggins, Smith, Morrison, Thallemer, Clemens, Grose and Bill Rhoades. Councilman Jerry Patterson was absent.

The next meeting is May 1. [[In-content Ad]]