Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BY LAURIE HAHN, Times-Union Staff Writer
WINONA LAKE - Winona Restoration Partners' request for the town to vacate portions of Chestnut and Canal streets was unanimously approved Tuesday by the town council.
In front of a standing-room-only crowd of Winona Lake residents, two council members made emotional statements before casting their votes.
Councilman Harold Dunn, who opposed the vacation at a previous meeting, said he was sorry for the "hassle," which he attributed to the fact that the request was from two people - Brent Wilcoxson and Dane Miller - familiar to the town.
"If this was a big major (outside) developer, we'd support these guys instead of running them through the mud," he said.
Randy Ruppel, who chaired the discussion when Wilcoxson, president of the town council, excused himself for the vote, said he had heard talk that if the development went through, Wilcoxson and Miller "might make some money."
"I hope they do," Ruppel said.
Council member Edna Gamble, who previously opposed the vacations, was not present at Tuesday's meeting.
Richard K. Helm, attorney for Winona Restoration Partners LLD, made the formal request for the vacations, and emphasized that according to Indiana statutes, a street vacation concerns only the right-of-way.
"The city does not own the streets," Helm said. "The right-of-way is a public easement - the guy who owns the next-door lot owns to the center of the street. The petition is to vacate the right-of-way, not to give up ownership."
Questions from town residents focused on the safety of the intersection of Chestnut Street and Park Avenue, and on traffic movement for people living along Chestnut Street and on either side of Chestnut.
Other residents asked about traffic studies, access issues and lack of notification to owners of adjacent property.
Josh Grill submitted a petition signed by 300 Winona Lake residents that supported the planned development and encouraged the town council to approve the street vacations.
The street vacations will take effect in 1999, Wilcoxson said.
At the end of the meeting Miller expressed appreciation to the council for their support: "We are committed to making this project work whether it makes any money or not."
He also made a point of noting that in the last several months he and Wilcoxson had been "accused of criminal acts and investigated by the state police and the prosecutor's office."
"I personally am offended that I would be accused or Brent would be accused of criminal behavior in his serving on the town board," Miller said.
He also said the next move for the development is to ask the council to change town ordinances to allow for the sale of alcoholic beverages in the hotel and in the restaurant being planned.
The council moved closer to finding a new home for the town's police station and town offices, but no final decision was made.
Options include building a new building for a town hall, at a cost of $650,000-$700,000; leasing the Grace Brethren Home Missions building for $6,200 per month, or $74,400 per year; renovating the Quonset hut for $400,000; or moving town offices into the current fire department building and building a new fire department for $500,000-$600,000.
Ruppel said the Grace building would suit the town's purposes best, but the requested lease rate was too high.
"If we pursue that option, we would like to see some significant reduction in the lease rate," Wilcoxson said.
The council unanimously approved Ruppel's motion to pursue negotiations with Grace Brethren Home Missions on acquiring the building.
In other business, the council:
• Approved the 1998 town budget of approximately $1.5 million;
• Agreed to have Phend & Brown pave Kelly Street before winter;
• Approved installing a four-way stop at the intersection of Kings Highway and Wooster Road;
• Named the extension of Court Street, which previously had no name, Court Circle.
The town council will meet next at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 23.
