City, County To Contribute $5,000 For Passenger Rail Study
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved the city and county collectively contributing $5,000 for a passenger rail study Friday. Warsaw has agreed to contribute $2,500; OrthoWorx will contribute $1,000; Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce will contribute $1,000; and the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau will contribute $500. The total cost of the study is $80,000. The passenger rail study is being conducted by Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association and will determine the feasibility of a passenger rail system from Chicago to Ohio.Fort Wayne also has contributed funds to determine the possibility of a stop in the city. The council approved a memo of understanding Friday for Warsaw to enter into a high-speed rail feasibility study with Fort Wayne. The study would determine if Warsaw could be a possible stop on a passenger rail line from Chicago to Ohio. Warsaw City Council previously discussed contributing funds and entering into an economic impact study for passenger rail at Tuesday night’s meeting. During Friday’s board of works meeting, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the establishment of passenger rail in Warsaw would be a boom to the area. “We need to make the case for Warsaw,” Thallemer said. He said in speaking with CF & E Railroad, the freight line that will be studied for passenger rail is not as congested with freight traffic and has infrastructure that could support high-speed rail. In other business, the board approved a contract for road improvements for Husky Trail and Mariner Drive. The board approved the project coordination contract with Indiana Department of Transportation. Thallemer, at the city council’s July 5 meeting, announced the city has been awarded $2.4 million to put toward Husky Trail improvements. The project will entail road widening, intersection improvements at multiple intersections including Mariner Drive and North Point Drive and sidewalks for better pedestrian traffic safety. The project will begin engineering in 2013, with the expected construction date of 2015 to 2016, depending on the date the project goes to bid and seasonal construction, Jeremy Skinner, city planner said. Neighboring residents, Warsaw Community School Corporation teacher and councilman Jeff Grose worked on letters of support for the project.
