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More than 220 petitions against the relocation of Eli Lilly Road, Syracuse, were presented to the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday by attorney and Syracuse resident Dick Green, representing the petitioners.
The petitions were solely from homeowners and did not include the petitions Green also had from vacant lot owners and other Syracuse residents opposed to the relocation.
While there was no formal proposal before the commissioners, Green said the residents in the area of Eli Lilly Road want to let the commissioners know how they feel about the road relocation proposal.
The discussion on the relocation began last year, Green said, when Phil Beer II, USI Consultants Inc., Indianapolis, asked commissioner Brad Jackson if the commissioners would be in favor of the proposal. Beer is working on the proposal on behalf of Peter and Ginny Nicholas, Eli Lilly Road residents.
Jackson told Beer at that time that, speaking for himself only and not for the rest of the commissioners, the Nicholases would have to pay for all the costs, the area property owners would have to be in favor of the relocation and the county would not be responsible for maintaining the road.
Area residents, Green said, did not find out about the proposed relocation of the road until after Beer spoke to Jackson and didn't know there were two options until the information was in the local newspapers.
In option A, a new road would be built from Warner to Bishop Road, just south of the railroad crossing. The existing Eli Lilly Road would be closed and the county maintenance vacated. Residents would still be able to travel on the old road, but it would be privately maintained.
Under option B, a road would be constructed in the middle of Eli Lilly Road and would travel north to the railroad, stopping at Bishop Road.
An option C, a variation of option B, was discussed in March, Green said.
"The point I want to stress about Eli Lilly Road that I can't stress enough ... it's one of the most beautiful stretches of road in Indiana," he said.
He said people who live in the area live there for a reason - it's both beautiful and historic with nice homes, a nice lake and historic structures. He said the people he is speaking for are directly affected.
"We have no choice but to use that road," Green said. He said they would be more affected by changes in that road than the people who actually live on Eli Lilly Road.
Of the 221 petitions presented, Green said, "all are against options A, B, C except for five people."
In another matter, Warsaw Housing Authority Executive Director Laura Kauffman requested the commissioners' approval for Housing Opportunities of Warsaw Inc. to apply for a Indiana Housing Finance Authority grant for approximately $145,000 on the county's behalf.
Only a government unit, such as the county commissioners, can receive the grant, so the Housing Opportunities of Warsaw must apply for the grant through the commissioners.
The grant will be used to fund a countywide program, called Home Rxemedies, to improve accessibility for disabled homeowners. The grant will allow county homeowners to access grants and low-interest loans to make modifications to their homes. Loan repayments will be pooled and used to continue the program indefinitely.
There will be no cost to the county as Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation has committed to the local match requirement of $14,500.
HOW has administered three similar grants for Warsaw and one for Pierceton, with a combined total of $1.05 million.
To be eligible for the program, a person or family would have to own a home in Kosciusko County and the family's income may not exceed the set limits.
HOW will work with each homeowner, Kauffman said, to determine what work needs to be completed to make their home accessible and safe.
The commissioners approved for HOW to apply for the grant on the county's behalf by a vote of 2 to 0. Jackson abstained from voting in case his company bids on any of the construction work.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved additions to the Kosciusko County Justice Building expansion project - $3,200 for changes in wall colors so the new portion of the building will match the colors of the old portion; $14,000 to put snowmelt in the walkways to the building.
• Heard from Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson regarding changes in road specifications. The commissioners will review the proposed changes and vote on them at a later meeting. Ladson said he would like to implement the changes in a month, if possible.
• Approved the Kosciusko Area Bus Service's grant application for 2002.
• Approved the application for reinsurance for the county employees.
• Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson reported the county received a certificate of appreciation at a banquet Monday for their participation in the Sus Amigos mentoring program.
"We were really pleased with their work effort," Robinson said of the two Hispanic Warsaw Community High School students who worked for the county. One student worked in the county sheriff's department and the other worked in the health department and in the administrator's office.
Because of the success of the program, Robinson said, "They're going to increase the program to 20 people this fall."
Kosciusko County Commissioners are president Brad Jackson, Ron Truex and Avis Gunter. They meet every other week in the county courthouse, Warsaw, at 9 a.m.
