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Contracts for an emergency fix of a bridge in Syracuse and for the design work of the Justice Building roof were presented to and approved by the Kosciusko County Commissioners on Tuesday.
Kosciusko County Highway Department (KCHD) Superintendent Steve Moriarty told the commissioners, “I have a contract to bring before you today. We have an emergency fix on a bridge that’s on Main Street, Syracuse, just west of Mill Street. Bridge 277.”
He said they had two bids for the work, with the lowest bidder being R.L. McCoy for $133,796.25.
“This is one that we are going to apply for, for the next federal call. This would be a fix that would last that length of time until that bridge is to be replaced,” Moriarty said. “I would like to have permission for you to approve the contract. Once it’s approved, this is pending legal review after we’ve got it, but we had to bring this first.”
County attorney Ed Ormsby said the emergency repair was pursuant to Indiana Code 36-1-12-9. The other bidder was Beer & Slabaugh.
“The board would declare this an emergency and then can go ahead and approve the contract, pending legal review,” Ormsby said, which the Commissioners did.
County Administrator Marsha McSherry brought forward to the Commissioners a proposal from Design Collaborative.
“This will take care of the architectural side of replacing the Justice Building roof,” she said.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “As part of our assessments we’ve done on our buildings a little over a year ago, one of the things that came up was the roof on the Justice Building needed replaced. In fact, our next item of business is going to be the contract for the building repairs around the facade. But then next is going to be the roof, and this would be for the design work, to get the drawings put together and have this project ready to be bid here yet this year, and, hopefully, have another contract to be able to replace the entire roof on the Justice Building.”
He said some of the building is over 40 years old and it’s “just due for some more TLC.”
The commissioners approved the contract with Design Collaborative for $212,000.
In August 2025, the facade and soffit on the northeast corner of the Justice Building collapsed, but luckily no one was injured. At the Commissioners’ July 14, 2026, meeting, they approved the low bid of $698,000 from Structural Waterproofing and Restoration LLC, out of Memphis, Tenn., to do the repair work to the damaged area of the Justice Building.
After the proposal with Design Collaborative was approved Tuesday, McSherry presented to the Commissioners the contract with Structural Waterproofing and Restoration for the Justice Building repairs.
“For the Structural Waterproofing and Restoration contract, we have a contract that’s been submitted. It’s been reviewed by our architect with some requested changes by the architect, pursuant to the bid documents,” Ormsby explained. “That’s gone back to Structural Waterproofing to make those changes. Once we have those, we can approve.”
He suggested the commissioners approve the contract with Structural Waterproofing, pending legal review for confirmation of those changes, which they did.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved the 2027 Terminal Services Data interlocal agreements with outlying communities, as presented by McSherry.
“This allows them to have access to the law enforcement side of this data information as our sheriff’s deputies do,” she said.
The cost for each community is $641.25 each for Claypool, Mentone, Milford, Pierceton and Silver Lake; $1,276.50 each for North Webster and the town of Winona Lake; $6,370 for Syracuse; $1,732.50 for the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory; and $38,201.75 for the city of Warsaw.
• Approved a quote from MacAllister for $10,756.49 for the Justice Building generator repairs, as requested by McSherry. The generator services the Justice Building, as well as some areas of the county courthouse.
• Approved a quote for $24,750 from Automatic Door Controls, as presented by McSherry.
“What this will do is put ADA door operators on all the public restroom doors in the Justice Building. So there’s six restrooms on three floors. There is electric that will come along beside of that, but I do not have that quote yet today. And that will make those restrooms be compliant,” she said.
• Approved a quote of $9,365 for the installation of cameras by Security Automation Systems, known as SAS, out at the KCHD, as requested by McSherry.
“This will put them on the same system that we have in the Justice Building and the courthouse, and for our exterior cameras here uptown,” she said.
• Approved the Daughters of the American Revolution Agnes Pruyn Chapman Chapter’s request to place a Revolutionary War Patriot marker at the Thaddeus Kosciuszko stone on the north side of the county courthouse.
Kathy Gawthrop said the marker will be bronze. “The plan is to place the marker with conjunction with Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day, which is Oct. 15. And this would be done next year.”
• Heard and approved the second quarter operating claim from Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS) General Manager Kristin Rude.
• Heard the annual update from Bowen Health.
• Tabled Earl and Lauren Chupp’s request to rezone 19 acres from Agriculture to Agriculture-2. The property is at 8223 W. CR 1100N, Nappanee. The Area Plan Commission (APC) recommended the Commissioners deny the rezoning, but the petitioners are willing to voluntarily put restrictions on the rezoning.
• Approved Samuel and Hannnah Whitehead’s request to rezone 1.67 acres from Ag-2 to Residential. The property is at 4601 E. CR 900N, Syracuse. The APC recommended the Commissioners approve the request.
• Approved Ricardo Prater’s request to rezone 1 acre at 4934 E. Pierceton Road, Pierceton, from Public Use to Ag-2. The APC recommended the Commissioners approve the request.
• Denied a request from Nickolas and Jessica Shilling to rezone 18.41 acres on Hoppus Road, now owned by Aurora Anglin, from Ag to Ag-2. The APC recommended the Commissioners deny the rezoning.
