Pierceton Town Council Approves Strategic Investment Plan
March 14, 2023 at 11:39 p.m.
Pierceton Town Council Approves Strategic Investment Plan
By Leah Sander-
At its meeting on Monday, the Pierceton Town Council approved a strategic investment plan for doing four projects as part of the town's participation in the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs' Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP).
The state created HELP to assist local governments with spending their ARPA money on projects to better their communities in four specific areas: advancing e-connectivity, enhancing quality of place, promoting community wellness and strengthening local economies. Kosciusko County was selected to participate and county representatives invited any cities and towns to take part as well, with Pierceton being one of the communities to agree.
Through HELP, the state is granting the county and the participating towns special funding to use along with their ARPA money. The county also hired a HELP community coordinator, Amy Roe, to facilitate the process. She was present at Monday's meeting.
Pierceton had to decide what projects it would like to complete in town via HELP following under the four specific areas, which it did via residents' input. Those projects laid out in the SIP include: creating a pole building for indoor activity use and improving sidewalks in town, the facades of buildings and water infrastructure.
The next step will involve the county OK'ing funding for the potential projects. HELP is designed to train communities to seek out other funding like grants, so even if Pierceton cannot accomplish all four of the projects with funding from HELP and ARPA now, it can learn of other ways to fund them.
County Parks Plan
The council also heard from town resident Georgia Tenney that the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board is seeking input on its five-year master plan.
Tenney serves on a committee helping develop the plan. It contains information on what the board hopes to accomplish in the future, which includes connecting Pierceton's trail system to Winona Lake.
There are several meetings at which the community may learn more and provide feedback.
Those are: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 16 at Bell Memorial Public Library; and 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
People may also submit feedback by taking the survey found at cognitoforms.com/MACOG/KosciuskoCountyParksMasterPlanPublicCommentForm.
Chamber Events
The council also approved road closures, utilizing Brower Park and allowing food trucks on the street for various Pierceton Chamber of Commerce events. Those include the Destination Pierceton shopping event May 12-13; the Townwide Garage Sales June 9-10; Pierceton Days July 28-29; the Heirloom Tomato Festival Aug. 26; and Christmas in Pierceton: Untangled tree lighting and celebration.
In other business, the council:
• Heard from Pierceton Park Board Secretary Annie Espinoza that the Pierceton Youth League signed its contract for the use of the fields at Pierceton-Washington Township Park. The league is paying the town and park board $1,700 for the season.
• Approved appointing Katie Wonderly to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation's scholarship fund committee to replace Brent Widman.
The council's next meeting is 6:30 p.m. April 10 at the Pierceton Community Building.
At its meeting on Monday, the Pierceton Town Council approved a strategic investment plan for doing four projects as part of the town's participation in the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs' Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP).
The state created HELP to assist local governments with spending their ARPA money on projects to better their communities in four specific areas: advancing e-connectivity, enhancing quality of place, promoting community wellness and strengthening local economies. Kosciusko County was selected to participate and county representatives invited any cities and towns to take part as well, with Pierceton being one of the communities to agree.
Through HELP, the state is granting the county and the participating towns special funding to use along with their ARPA money. The county also hired a HELP community coordinator, Amy Roe, to facilitate the process. She was present at Monday's meeting.
Pierceton had to decide what projects it would like to complete in town via HELP following under the four specific areas, which it did via residents' input. Those projects laid out in the SIP include: creating a pole building for indoor activity use and improving sidewalks in town, the facades of buildings and water infrastructure.
The next step will involve the county OK'ing funding for the potential projects. HELP is designed to train communities to seek out other funding like grants, so even if Pierceton cannot accomplish all four of the projects with funding from HELP and ARPA now, it can learn of other ways to fund them.
County Parks Plan
The council also heard from town resident Georgia Tenney that the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board is seeking input on its five-year master plan.
Tenney serves on a committee helping develop the plan. It contains information on what the board hopes to accomplish in the future, which includes connecting Pierceton's trail system to Winona Lake.
There are several meetings at which the community may learn more and provide feedback.
Those are: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 16 at Bell Memorial Public Library; and 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
People may also submit feedback by taking the survey found at cognitoforms.com/MACOG/KosciuskoCountyParksMasterPlanPublicCommentForm.
Chamber Events
The council also approved road closures, utilizing Brower Park and allowing food trucks on the street for various Pierceton Chamber of Commerce events. Those include the Destination Pierceton shopping event May 12-13; the Townwide Garage Sales June 9-10; Pierceton Days July 28-29; the Heirloom Tomato Festival Aug. 26; and Christmas in Pierceton: Untangled tree lighting and celebration.
In other business, the council:
• Heard from Pierceton Park Board Secretary Annie Espinoza that the Pierceton Youth League signed its contract for the use of the fields at Pierceton-Washington Township Park. The league is paying the town and park board $1,700 for the season.
• Approved appointing Katie Wonderly to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation's scholarship fund committee to replace Brent Widman.
The council's next meeting is 6:30 p.m. April 10 at the Pierceton Community Building.
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