WINONA LAKE - Former town council member Dick Taylor appeared at the town council meeting Tuesday with a few suggestions.

He advised the board that there were places for people to park boat trailers, places that had been considered as parking areas in the past.

At the last meeting, the board passed an ordinance limiting parking of boat trailers to one hour in public parking spaces.

"You should offer an alternative for people who visit or who live here and have no room to park a trailer," Taylor said. "I've lived here since 1944 and the streets aren't any bigger, but what we put on them is a lot bigger."

An area across the Cherry Street bridge was considered for a public access ramp with a parking area at one time, Taylor said, and could be used for that purpose now. He recommended a small parking fee be collected so there was a financial benefit to the town, too.

"This is an answer to the problem and might help somebody else."

Jerry Nelson approached the board again regarding the maintenance and use of the state right of way (to the east of Canal Street along the channel) across from his property at 902 Canal St.

Nelson has indicated his intention to petition this strip between the street and channel for vacation during past meetings.

He said he asked who was mowing the grassy area and was told after the last meeting "a volunteer" was doing the work.

"I think this should have been answered in public," Nelson said, "so everyone would know."

Clerk Retha Hicks advised Nelson that whoever rents pier space, as Nelson has, contracted to take care of the area.

Nelson said it seemed like the town had handed off responsibility of the property.

Board president Jerry Clevenger said that wasn't so, that the town has an interest in the property.

Nelson said he understood such rights of way could be used only for transportation, suggesting the town is in violation of this use.

At this point town attorney Jim Walmer said the right of way is governed by the state and the state has given towns jurisdiction over such areas.

"But the right of way is the state's," Walmer said. "Letting it be grass is an option of the town. Go ask your attorney and have him explain it."

Nelson asked about the current lawsuit involving the town and the Winona Lake Lions Club, wondering if any details of the mediation would be public.

Walmer said interested townspeople could have been part of the suit. "There was a pretty defined time frame to respond to it. You had 30 days and you haven't filed a response yet. The town had 20 days to respond, and it did.

"Briefs filed by both sides are public record. Mediation is part of the process. I don't know if you don't understand that or if you're pretending not to."

Town engineer Larry Long said work on King's Highway is nearly complete with crosswalk pavement and striping to be done. He said the work on Park Avenue is not moving along as quickly as planned because unexpected lines are being found and not necessarily marked as abandoned.

"There may be a 4-inch gas line in one place and three feet away is another 4-inch gas line. When you run new pipe, you tend to find old ones," Long said.

Long was confident substantial completion of the street would be within the next 30 days. Deadline for the end of construction is Dec. 7.

Town coordinator Craig Allebach asked council members to take another look at the stop sign situation on King's Highway at the Rupe Drive intersection before the stop striping is applied.

Clevenger said Jefferson Elementary School Principal Denny Duncan called him about keeping the stop signs.

"I think the 360 Jefferson school parents would concur with him," Clevenger said.

Rolly Ortega advised that a meeting with town and school officials be held with interested citizens.

Allebach said children are being picked up off Maple Street now and the only traffic entering King's Highway is eight buses.

About 20 children cross the street to and from school every day and Grace College students regularly cross the street going to buildings on the west side of King's Highway.

The board also:

• Accepted a not-to-exceed amount of $22,942 for improvements to several streets off Park Avenue while the construction crews were in the area.

• Heard from public works superintendent Pete O'Connell that leaf pickup has begun and will be continuous through the fall season.

• Heard residents have picked up 30 large recycling bins.

• Tabled an ordinance regarding the establishment of no parking areas.

Approved a credit card for the clerk-treasurer.

• Approved an ordinance regarding penalties for ordinance violations.

• Approved a grant of easement for the greenway trail from Winona Restoration from the stop light on Park Avenue to south of 12th Street.

• Approved an agreement with the Indiana Department of Transportation to advertise for bids for greenway construction.

• Events in town were given as: the Village at Winona Fall Festival Saturday; WRSW "Town Talk" radio program, 2 p.m., Monday; trick or treat, Oct. 30, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; free dance lessons with instructor Kathy Nate, 7 p.m., Nov. 3 in the senior center; American Lyceum Lecture featuring Thomas Jefferson impersonator Clay Jenkinson, 4 p.m., Nov. 7, Rodeheaver Auditorium; mountain bike "poker run," Boys City trails, Nov. 23; town employee Christmas lunch, 11:30 a.m., and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic's Holiday Pops, Lakeland Community Concert Association, 2 p.m., Dec. 19, in Rodeheaver Auditorium. [[In-content Ad]]