After a lengthy discussion, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved a compromise Tuesday morning to a road vacation on Tippecanoe Lake.
The request was to vacate a tract of land that ran across three adjacent lots on T48 B Lane on the north side of Tippecanoe Lake in what is known as Russell’s Park on Shelter Bay.
At an Area Plan Commission meeting earlier this month, attorney Steve Snyder represented the Matchett family, who was requesting the undeveloped public way be vacated.
Snyder said the vacation made sense because it would help cut down on density of homes around the lake, which is something the plan commission wants.
He also said that his clients were the only ones who used the area.
This was disputed by several residents at Tuesday’s meeting who say that the area is used by fisherman, especially ice fishermen in the winter.
Snyder said the land has been improved and maintained by his clients for the past 23 years.
On two separate occasions, while Snyder argued for his petitioners, Area Plan Director Dan Richard said Snyder “grossly misrepresented” ordinances laid out by the plan commission.
Neighbors who were against the vacation as it was proposed said that the Matchetts have been good neighbors and they wanted them to be able to consolidate their properties.
After talking with Jay Matchett, Snyder and the neighbors in attendance, the commissioners voted on a compromise that would vacate an area of the property, leave 10 feet off the shoreline and 15 feet to the north of the property.
New precincts will most likely be coming to Kosciusko County for 2012 elections.
That will provide challenges for the clerk’s office as they try to find new polling places for the proposed new precincts.
Clerk Jason McSherry said his office tries to avoid schools and churches as polling places.
McSherry said last election a woman in Pierceton refused to vote at a church because she had an issue with the church’s policies.
The state still has to approve McSherry’s redistricting plan as do the commissioners once its approved by the state.
New proposed precincts include Plain 6 and 7, Warsaw 1-4 in Wayne Township and Wayne 11. The new precincts come from the changing population inside the county.
The commissioners approved a request to join OrthoWorx, pending funds being available.
David Floyd, CEO of OrthoWorx, gave a presentation to the commissioners.
Floyd said 13,000 jobs in Kosciusko County tie in to the orthopedic industry.
Floyd gave an overview of what OrthoWorx does.
OrthoWorx, said Floyd, played a big role in bringing The Remnant Trust to Winona Lake.
Floyd said that OrthoWorx is a business league and it is important to grow the league’s membership.
Much of what OrthoWorx does is funded through a 501(c)(3) Orthopedic Capital Foundation.
But some things like economic development and public policy would need to be funded through the business league and not the foundation.
When asked, Floyd said OrthoWorx would work in conjunction with Kosciusko Economic Development Corp.
Commissioner Ron Truex made a motion to approve joining OrthoWorx pending that the $10,000 fee could be found in the county’s budget.
County auditor Marsha McSherry told the commissioners that the county’s website recently received a facelift.
Visitors can go to www.kcgov.com to see the changes.
