No Fishing Ordinance Approved For Edgewater Drive Bridge
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Fishing will no longer be allowed on the Edgewater Drive culvert at Center Lake in Rolling Hills Addition. Warsaw City Council approved an ordinance Monday night that prohibits fishing in the area. Council President Diane Quance said she was contacted by concerned residents who said there were fishermen who were walking on their private property to put up ice huts. They also were launching boats and parking on the bridge standing in the backs of their trucks fishing. Trash also was left behind by the fishermen and the road was blocked with sometimes 36 vehicles at a time. Quance said the Center Lake Conservation Association voted in favor of no fishing at the Edgewater Drive culvert at its April 29 board meeting. Charlie Smith, councilman, said the issue also had been brought to his attention by concerned residents. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the issue was brought to the city’s attention and he worked with Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker, Attorney Mike Valentine, and City Planner Jeremy Skinner to discuss a solution to the problem. “The problem is there is not enough private property to enforce no fishing from a private property standpoint,” Thallemer said. “The road is a city street and the idea is to keep fishermen off the street.” Thallemer said the city discussed the possibility of prohibiting parking at the Edgewater Drive bridge, but said that would be unfair to the residents who live there. Elaine Call, councilwoman, said she wanted to know what the penalty is for residents who violated the ordinance. “I do want this to happen, but I want to see the penalty so everyone realizes the penalty associated with the fishing,” Call said. Thallemer said the ordinance is enforceable and if there are people fishing at the location there is now something on the books that says they can’t. Valentine said the ordinance will allow the city to post a no fishing sign at the location. Jerry Frush, councilman, said he would have liked to review the issue prior to the council meeting and driven by to see the problem. Rick White, Warsaw resident, said there have been confrontations when fishermen have gone on residents’ properties and said they had the right to. Mike Brubaker, Warsaw Fire Department chief, said with 36 vehicles parked at the area that brings up a public safety issue. He said if there are cars parked on the culvert and fire personnel cannot get their fire trucks there that is a problem. “If one of these homes is on fire and there is that many vehicles back there we have no access and it takes on a whole different viewpoint from the fire side by getting those vehicles off the culvert,” Brubaker said. “We have to have access back there to protect resident’s homes.”
