Winona Lake Looks At Expansion Of Heritage Trail East
October 16, 2019 at 1:43 a.m.
By Amanda [email protected]
Town Manager Craig Allebach showed a map of potential routes and talked about pending timelines, saying the design should be completed by February, with bidding to begin in September.
The proposed trailhead and playground at Christ Covenant Church is basically shovel-ready, town attorney Adam Turner said, adding that the monies have yet to be raised but they do have the plans and quotes ready. Turner said Christ Covenant looks forward to having that area be a trailhead stopping point with a playground. The playground would use the same company that the Winona Park playground did.
Also, the board heard that the Indiana Department of Transportation approved preliminary Community Crossing Matching Grant funds of $192,222.15 to help with road projects around town. Winona Lake will pay 25% and focus on fixing the half of the road of Crystal Lane that needs fixing and then fixing the streets in Lexington?Manor, Allebach said. Fixing the streets in Lexington Manor will help with the pooling of water and drainage problems there, he said.
Stratford Drive was not part of the project list for the INDOT matching funds, however, the town is going to do that project and widen the road by Stone Camp Trail to two lanes instead of the one that is currently there.
The manholes on Kings Highway that are sunken in and cause problems for drivers are going to be asphalted over, Allebach said, noting the town doesn’t really get down into them and that it will only be the manholes that are in the tire path.
Councilwoman Tecy Banta complimented the street work on Oakhill Drive and said not only does it look wonderful, but it works right as far as drainage.
“We’ve had enough rain to know it works right,” Banta said.
Holly Hummitch, parks director, got approval from the board to purchase a RoxAll five-person seesaw. She showed a video to the council and said it has four high-back seats with handrails and is for children with all abilities. The cost is $9,541.15 and was in her budget, she said.
The council also formally adopted the 2020 budget for $5,029,852, a decrease of $240,401 from 2019.
The council unanimously approved the interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County that pays for the police vehicle in-car terminal services. Cost for that is $1,000 per vehicle, and WLPD has seven vehicles.
Town Marshal Joe Hawn reported his department is accepting applications for a reserve officer and applications can be requested by emailing [email protected] until Nov. 1.
A new K-9 is also coming by the beginning of the year for officer John Leeper, Hawn said. Leeper will be sent to Vohne Liche Kennels in Peru in the near future to receive the dog and train. Hawn said he received funding through the prosecutor’s office and is working on a grant to fund the rest of the K-9 expense.
Tom Miller, public works superintendent, said they sprayed for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. Miller also said they were installing handicapped ramps on Park Avenue and found collapsed drain holes and manholes made out of brick that would probably collapse. He also noted that they cleaned out the parking lot at Roy Street by removing trees and debris and will plan to put picnic tables up in the spring.
The next Winona Town Council meeting is 6 p.m. Nov. 19 in the town hall.
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Town Manager Craig Allebach showed a map of potential routes and talked about pending timelines, saying the design should be completed by February, with bidding to begin in September.
The proposed trailhead and playground at Christ Covenant Church is basically shovel-ready, town attorney Adam Turner said, adding that the monies have yet to be raised but they do have the plans and quotes ready. Turner said Christ Covenant looks forward to having that area be a trailhead stopping point with a playground. The playground would use the same company that the Winona Park playground did.
Also, the board heard that the Indiana Department of Transportation approved preliminary Community Crossing Matching Grant funds of $192,222.15 to help with road projects around town. Winona Lake will pay 25% and focus on fixing the half of the road of Crystal Lane that needs fixing and then fixing the streets in Lexington?Manor, Allebach said. Fixing the streets in Lexington Manor will help with the pooling of water and drainage problems there, he said.
Stratford Drive was not part of the project list for the INDOT matching funds, however, the town is going to do that project and widen the road by Stone Camp Trail to two lanes instead of the one that is currently there.
The manholes on Kings Highway that are sunken in and cause problems for drivers are going to be asphalted over, Allebach said, noting the town doesn’t really get down into them and that it will only be the manholes that are in the tire path.
Councilwoman Tecy Banta complimented the street work on Oakhill Drive and said not only does it look wonderful, but it works right as far as drainage.
“We’ve had enough rain to know it works right,” Banta said.
Holly Hummitch, parks director, got approval from the board to purchase a RoxAll five-person seesaw. She showed a video to the council and said it has four high-back seats with handrails and is for children with all abilities. The cost is $9,541.15 and was in her budget, she said.
The council also formally adopted the 2020 budget for $5,029,852, a decrease of $240,401 from 2019.
The council unanimously approved the interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County that pays for the police vehicle in-car terminal services. Cost for that is $1,000 per vehicle, and WLPD has seven vehicles.
Town Marshal Joe Hawn reported his department is accepting applications for a reserve officer and applications can be requested by emailing [email protected] until Nov. 1.
A new K-9 is also coming by the beginning of the year for officer John Leeper, Hawn said. Leeper will be sent to Vohne Liche Kennels in Peru in the near future to receive the dog and train. Hawn said he received funding through the prosecutor’s office and is working on a grant to fund the rest of the K-9 expense.
Tom Miller, public works superintendent, said they sprayed for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. Miller also said they were installing handicapped ramps on Park Avenue and found collapsed drain holes and manholes made out of brick that would probably collapse. He also noted that they cleaned out the parking lot at Roy Street by removing trees and debris and will plan to put picnic tables up in the spring.
The next Winona Town Council meeting is 6 p.m. Nov. 19 in the town hall.
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