The Tippecanoe River cleanup committee expects to award bids today, Kosciusko County Emergency Manager Ed Rock told county commissioners this morning. Whether a bidder can begin work this year or next year will be a factor in the decision, he noted. This year would be a good time to start, he added, since water levels are fairly low and flood plain areas are dry. Another limiting factor is the money at the committee’s disposal – about $45,000 – compared to an estimated cleanup cost of roughly $110,000. He said they will try to get another grant to help pay for it, and that next year may be too late to apply. Rock told commissioners that 111 blockages have been identified in the 30-plus-mile stretch of river, extending from west of Warsaw to the western county line. They will start at the western edge and work their way east, clearing the entire width of the river in each segment. Workers are limited to using handtools in the water, though some heavy equipment can be set up along the bank. Blockages in hard-to-reach places may have to be cut up and floated out, Rock said, noting that the difficulties of the cleanup explain the high cost of bids. Rock also agreed when commissioner Ron Truex observed that Tippecanoe cleanup in Kosciusko may not have stellar results if Marshall County doesn’t commit to clearing the water on its side of the county line. And commissioners recognized Labon Andrew Weaver as the veteran of the month this morning. The 65-year-old Vietnam veteran was in the Navy from 1966 to 1969, after enlisting at age 17, and has been a pastor at Warsaw Wesleyan for six years. Weaver, who was applauded by fellow veterans and members of his congregation in the audience, said it was his privilege to receive the honor on behalf of himself and other veterans. “I recognize that I represent many veterans,” he said. “It’s not just an award given to me but to my generation.”
