Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Those wanting to get a new driver's license, renew vehicle registrations or get new license plates were faced with a small predicament Monday - no convenient parking.
The parking lot adjacent to the Bureau of Motor Vehicle's Warsaw branch is no longer available, sealed off by a 5-foot-high wire fence. Branch patrons were forced to find less convenient parking, with most using a lot across the railroad tracks, south of the BMV office.
The lot next to the BMV is owned by Theodora Batalis and was leased by the city to provide parking for downtown workers and BMV patrons. The city canceled it's lease, effective June 30, which prompted the closing.
According to Bill Bibler, who administers and maintains the lot for Batalis, the lot was closed for liability reasons.
"We closed the lot for liability reasons after the city canceled its lease," Bibler said. "The lot is available for lease if anyone wants to rent it."
Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the city decided to cancel its lease on the lot after it ceased being cost-effective to continue leasing it.
"We were spending more in rent for the lot than we were receiving from the people subleasing parking spaces," he said.
According to Warsaw Police Department Capt. Steve Foster, who administered the lot for the city, the 33-space lot had 18 spaces available for monthly subleases by downtown workers and only nine were being used when the city canceled its lease.
"The use of the lot had decreased to the point that it wasn't being used enough to justify the continued expense of renting the lot," Foster said.
The closing took BMV branch manager John Radoevich by surprise when he opened for business Monday morning.
"I have no idea what's going on with the parking lot," he said.
