Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Wallace Huffman was tricked into attending the Warsaw City Council meeting Monday night. His associates appealed to his sense of civic duty and he, of course, answered the call.
He thought he would hear a police department presentation addressed to citizens during the council meeting.
Instead, he was presented a City of Warsaw Citizens Award by Mayor Ernie Wiggins and Police Chief Steven Foster for his many years of service as a member of KEMRAD (Kosciusko Emergency Radio).
Huffman has been a KEMRAD member for 62 years.
The group is invaluable to the police department, Foster said.
During emergencies, such as power outages, they serve as traffic controllers. Members help park cars during athletic events, help patrol the streets during Halloween and parades and participate in crowd control during large city park events.
Several reports were presented during the meeting, including one from the victim services project. Advocate-volunteers donated 2,255 hours and responded to 15 crisis interventions in the fourth quarter of 2000. There were two follow-up contacts from advocates and three people were referred to a safe house.
The volunteers also conducted a school outreach program at Warsaw Community High School and participated in the women's symposium. The advocates presented training for the First United Methodist Church Womens' Circle, the Citizens' Police Academy, a Grace College social work class and the Grace College Rape Prevention Program.
Warsaw Police Department DARE officer Terry Polston presented stastistics about the drug program, reporting he reached 3,717 students at 11 schools.
City planner Jeff Noffsinger gave board members 2000 U.S. Census data showing the city's, Winona Lake's and the county's population growth since 1970.
Warsaw is the 60th largest community in Indiana and has the 29th largest Hispanic population of all Indiana communities, he said. The Hispanic population has grown from 312 in 1990 to 1,144 in 2000, an increase of 267 percent.
Kosciusko County grew 13.4 percent from 65,294 in 1990 to 74,057 in 2000. The county's Hispanic population has increased 196 percent, from 1,258 in 1990 to 3,722 in 2000.
Ranked as the 19th most populated county in Indiana, Kosciusko has the eighth largest Hispanic population.
Two traffic control ordinances were heard. Approved on the second reading was an ordinance placing two-way stop signs at the northwest and southeast corners of the Morton Street and Prairie Street intersection.
The ordinance also calls for no left turn on East Center Street westbound for of 200 feet west of Harrison Street and institutes a no-parking zone on the east side of Logan Street, from Eagle Street to Winona Avenue.
The second traffic ordinance provides for a no-parking zone on the west side of Indiana Street, from Jefferson Street to Winona Avenue, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Rules were suspended for a salary ordinance, and it was approved on first reading. The ordinance allows for two building inspectors at a salary of $1,153.84 and deletes the titles of code enforcement officer and assistant building commissioner.
The board tabled an amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding gasoline sales and convenience stores because a citizen wishes to give input regarding the proposed ruling, according to Wiggins.
A request by the Warsaw Fire Department to sell self-contained breathing apparatus and extra air cylinders to the Roann and Sidney fire departments was approved.
Roann will take 15 complete systems and 15 extra cylinders and Sidney's volunteers will take six systems and four extra air cylinders at a cost of $4,125 and $1,500 respectively.
In other business the board:
• Approved a request by Jennifer Whitaker of Public Works to order "Protected Property by Ordinance 95-12-6" signs. The purchase of 30 signs at a cost of $478.50 was approved. The signage is requested by and posted at businesses to ensure enforcement of loitering and parking violations.
Warsaw City Council members are Joe Thallemer, Trish Brown, Jeff Grose, Charlie Smith, George Clemens, Jerry Patterson and Bill Rhoades.
The council meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in council chambers.
