KCCRVC Tables Request For CCAC Bathroom Funds
January 9, 2020 at 12:48 a.m.
KCCRVC Tables Request For CCAC Bathroom Funds
By Teresa Carrano-
Sworn into new terms were Mark Skibowski, Kathy Ray, Jo Paczkowski and Dave Gustafson. Also attending the meeting was commissioner Ron Robinson. Tammy Kratzer and John Hall were absent.
Kratzer was elected president; Paczkowski, vice president; Hall, treasurer; and Gustafson, secretary.
The commissioners heard four requests for grants. Funds for various festival and event projects and promotional materials comes from the county’s innkeeper’s tax.
Karl Swihart, of the City County Athletic Complex, requested $62,988 to expand the restroom facilities on the east side of the property. The expansion would add two urinals, one sink and two toilets to the men’s restroom and three toilets and one sink to the women’s restroom.
While the board members were in favor of the restroom expansion, Skibowski reminded everyone that $100,000 has been set aside for Syracuse-Wawasee Trails this year. The granting of $62,988 to the CCAC for this request would leave the board without available funds for the rest of the year.
Swihart’s request was tabled until the March meeting.
The request from Casey Jones, of the Audubon Society, for a projector was approved. Jones said the local chapter has 90 members and the projector would be used for regular presentations. The group used to meet at Manchester University and has recently started meeting at Koinonia Environmental and Retreat Center.
Erlene Yentes introduced herself as the new director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails organization. She asked for $1,690 for the Winter Warm Up 5K – a fundraiser for the group during the Winter Carnival.
The money would be used for a race timer system. She said 44 runners participated last year and 25 were from outside the county. So far this year, 17 runners are registered for the event. She said hats with the trails logo were given as gifts.
The board cut her request to $500 to purchase the hats.
Jill Boggs, the county Convention-Visitors Bureau CEO, requested $2,500 for the 11-11-11 Mural Festival, which was approved. A statewide initiative of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, 11 murals will be painted in each of the 11 counties belonging to the partnership – Adams, Noble, Allen, Steuben, DeKalb, Wabash, Huntington, Wells, Kosciusko, Whitley and LaGrange. Boggs has agreed to be the spokesperson for the Kosciusko County mural project.
The total investment in each county will be $20,000 for a mural painted by a nationally recognized artist.
Locations in Warsaw are being scouted for the mural location, with Northeast Indiana Regional Partners funding the project.
Boggs also gave a presentation of the CVB’s new website that will be officially launched later this month.
Skibowski returned to the commission’s financial report, saying the innkeeper’s tax collection was down in December compared to collections in other years. The balance on hand is $383,000 with $500,000 in investments.
Skibowski recommended an additional appropriation of $100,000 because of the upcoming Wawasee Trails grant in that amount. He said only $49,000 would be available for grants the rest of the year.
County auditor Michelle Puckett said she would request the funds from the county council at its February meeting, following advertisement of the appropriation.
The board also approved Puckett as the 2020 controller and secretary of the commission in an interlocal agreement.
The board’s next meeting is 9 a.m. March 11 in the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s old courtroom
Sworn into new terms were Mark Skibowski, Kathy Ray, Jo Paczkowski and Dave Gustafson. Also attending the meeting was commissioner Ron Robinson. Tammy Kratzer and John Hall were absent.
Kratzer was elected president; Paczkowski, vice president; Hall, treasurer; and Gustafson, secretary.
The commissioners heard four requests for grants. Funds for various festival and event projects and promotional materials comes from the county’s innkeeper’s tax.
Karl Swihart, of the City County Athletic Complex, requested $62,988 to expand the restroom facilities on the east side of the property. The expansion would add two urinals, one sink and two toilets to the men’s restroom and three toilets and one sink to the women’s restroom.
While the board members were in favor of the restroom expansion, Skibowski reminded everyone that $100,000 has been set aside for Syracuse-Wawasee Trails this year. The granting of $62,988 to the CCAC for this request would leave the board without available funds for the rest of the year.
Swihart’s request was tabled until the March meeting.
The request from Casey Jones, of the Audubon Society, for a projector was approved. Jones said the local chapter has 90 members and the projector would be used for regular presentations. The group used to meet at Manchester University and has recently started meeting at Koinonia Environmental and Retreat Center.
Erlene Yentes introduced herself as the new director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails organization. She asked for $1,690 for the Winter Warm Up 5K – a fundraiser for the group during the Winter Carnival.
The money would be used for a race timer system. She said 44 runners participated last year and 25 were from outside the county. So far this year, 17 runners are registered for the event. She said hats with the trails logo were given as gifts.
The board cut her request to $500 to purchase the hats.
Jill Boggs, the county Convention-Visitors Bureau CEO, requested $2,500 for the 11-11-11 Mural Festival, which was approved. A statewide initiative of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, 11 murals will be painted in each of the 11 counties belonging to the partnership – Adams, Noble, Allen, Steuben, DeKalb, Wabash, Huntington, Wells, Kosciusko, Whitley and LaGrange. Boggs has agreed to be the spokesperson for the Kosciusko County mural project.
The total investment in each county will be $20,000 for a mural painted by a nationally recognized artist.
Locations in Warsaw are being scouted for the mural location, with Northeast Indiana Regional Partners funding the project.
Boggs also gave a presentation of the CVB’s new website that will be officially launched later this month.
Skibowski returned to the commission’s financial report, saying the innkeeper’s tax collection was down in December compared to collections in other years. The balance on hand is $383,000 with $500,000 in investments.
Skibowski recommended an additional appropriation of $100,000 because of the upcoming Wawasee Trails grant in that amount. He said only $49,000 would be available for grants the rest of the year.
County auditor Michelle Puckett said she would request the funds from the county council at its February meeting, following advertisement of the appropriation.
The board also approved Puckett as the 2020 controller and secretary of the commission in an interlocal agreement.
The board’s next meeting is 9 a.m. March 11 in the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s old courtroom
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