Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The former Wal-Mart store building on Warsaw's east side has been purchased by Big R Stores of central Illinois, Mayor Ernie Wiggins announced at the Warsaw city council meeting Monday.
With locations in Watseka, Danville, Gibson City, Tilton, Pontiac and Morris, Ill., the Warsaw location of this Big R Store chain will be the first in Indiana.
The commercial building at 3660 Commerce Drive has 108,883 square feet and sits on 9.1 acres. The 400- by 245-foot facility has housed a couple of home shows in the last years, otherwise sitting empty.
An Economic Development Commission will be convened, Wiggins said, to consider requests made by the company. The city council appointed Joe Thallemer to the commission, with the mayor selecting city planner Jeff Noffsinger. Another member will be from the county council. No date was set for the first meeting.
The council approved an appropriation of $34,200 to purchase land adjacent to Oakwood Cemetery to expand cemetery grounds.
The 3.451-acre parcel is at the southeast corner of the cemetery.
An annual report of building permits and construction costs, presented by the Building and Planning Department, was reviewed by the council.
Councilman Jeff Grose said he had a telephone conversation with Hal Gurkin, Indiana-American Water Co.'s operations superintendent. Grose said Gurkin indicated the Fort Wayne Street "loop" to improve water quality to residents would be complete in April and the Center Street hydrants repaired in March.
The next council meeting is set for Feb. 17, a Tuesday, at 7 p.m. The regularly scheduled meeting would have been on Presidents Day, a national holiday.
City councilmen are George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Bob Morrison, Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, Charlie Smith and Joe Thallemer.
