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The county will make an initial offer of $235,000 to Snapping Turtle LLC for the Ameriprise property at 225 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, for a future parking garage.
At the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, county attorney Ed Ormsby presented them with a uniform land acquisition offer pursuant to Indiana Code 32-24-1-5.
“This is a letter that is required under the eminent domain statute to initiate good faith negotiations between the county and the owner of that property for acquisition for the parking garage structure,” he explained. “This letter is based upon a fair market value of appraisal and it was $235,000, so in the letter we are making an offer to purchase that property for $235,000.”
At the commissioners’ July 15 meeting, they unanimously voted to use the eminent domain process to acquire the Ameriprise property for the site of a future downtown Warsaw parking garage. Jonathan Kingston is the owner of Snapping Turtle and his wife, Jennifer Kingston, operates Ameriprise out of the building.
If the letter is accepted, Ormsby said Tuesday, “We would then take possession of the property within 90 days. If it is not, 30 days after the issuance of this letter, the county may then initiate an eminent domain complaint in the Circuit Court.”
According to a copy of the letter provided by Ormsby, the property owner does not have to accept the offer and the county is not required to agree to their demands. However, if they do not accept this offer, and the two parties cannot come to an agreement on the acquisition of the property, the county has the right to file suit to condemn, and acquire the property in the county in which the real estate is located.
If the county files a suit to condemn and acquire the property and the court grants its request to condemn, the court will then appoint three appraisers who will make an independent appraisal of the property to be acquired. If both parties agree with the court appraisers’ report, then the matter is settled. However, if either of the parties disagrees with the appraisers’ report to the court, either has the right to ask for a trial to decide what should be paid to the property owner for the property condemned, the letter states.
If the court appraisers’ report is not accepted by either of the parties, then the county has the legal option of depositing the amount of the court appraisers’ evaluation with the court. And if such a deposit is made with the court, the county is legally entitled to immediate possession of the property.
The trial would decide the full amount of damages the property owner is to receive, the letter states.
Commissioner Sue Ann Mitchell made the motion to approve the letter at Tuesday’s meeting, Commissioners Bob Conley seconded it and the motion passed 3-0.
Of the $30 million in Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative (OIRI) funds that OrthoWorx received from the state a couple years ago, $5 million has been earmarked for a city-county parking garage in downtown Warsaw. In December 2024, the city and county approved a memorandum of understanding related to an infrastructure being built in downtown Warsaw for parking. The parking garage project is estimated to cost approximately $15 million.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• A contract between Eptura and the Kosciusko County Highway Department (KCHD) for the KCHD to purchase Eptura’s asset management program that tracks work orders and maintenance stock inventory, as requested by KCHD Superintendent Steve Moriarty.
The upfront cost is $16,050, and the annual cost is $8,500.
Moriarty said the system that they have been using is out of date and Eptura’s will “help us become more effective.” He said it would help not only the KCHD, but also help with tracking all of the sheriff’s department vehicles as well.
• For a list of “surplus” items from the KCHD to be combined with items from the sheriff’s department for an upcoming auction.
Moriarty said the items include some of the KCHD’s older vehicles, such as a 1990 International dump truck that needs some transmission work.
He said when he says surplus, that means its equipment that is not really needed at this time by the county and the funds from the auction could go toward new equipment or dump trucks they’re already waiting on.
• Three Indiana Health First memorandums of understanding (MOUs) as presented by Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver. He said they’ve all passed through the approval process and were legally ready to be approved.
One was for $12,005 for the YMCA fourth quarter 2025 funding for Enhanced Fitness and A Matter of Balance; one was for $11,085 for YMCA first quarter 2026 funding for Enhanced Fitness and A Matter of Balance; and the third was for $15,000 for Live Well Kosciusko’s Clubhouse.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said he was excited to the see the YMCA ones that provide services in the county’s three small communities.
Mitchell said she believed that the Clubhouse also would have a positive impact on the community.
• Approved the Chapman Lake application for inclusion of territory to the Tippecanoe-Chapman Regional Sewer District, as presented by attorney Andrew Boxberger for the district, provided it doesn’t affect the rates of the current district residents. The East Webster Lake will be its own service area if the project goes forward and will be distinct from the Tippecanoe-Chapman debt, though they will be one sewer district.
• Approved special project dollars of $160,470 for Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), which already was budgeted for this year in the Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) fund, as requested by KEDCO CEO Peggy Friday.
• Accepting a $30,000 SEED grant for Kosciusko County GIS that GIS Director Bill Holder applied for earlier this year.
• Approved the 2026 meeting and holiday schedule, as presented by County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker.
• Heard the second quarter Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) report from Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe.
“Construction projects, we have completed ribbon-cuttings for both Pierceton - so proud of them - and Milford,” she said. “And then we will have our last ribbon-cutting for our last construction project for HELP on Sept. 4 at 4:30 p.m. at the Mentzer Park, so put that date on your calendar.”
She said Mentone is excited for it and they have a lot of folks working to get that ready.
As for planning projects, Roe said those should be completed by September.
“And we are working to transition the Youth Entrepreneurship Program with the new director of Believe In A Dream and Grace College as they have the Business Incubator Center, and so we are looking at partnering with them to see what that looks like,” she stated.
Groninger said it was exciting to see the projects they’ve been working on for three years now coming to fruition.
Roe said she was continuing to work with the town of Sidney on their strategic plan and they’ll be kicking off Claypool’s strategic plan at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13.
“We’re working hard to make sure we’re providing value,” she said.
The next commissioners meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 26.
