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Warsaw Police Capt. Perry Hunter announced Friday an increase in patrols will soon be taking place in Central Park, an effort he hopes will eliminate suspicious activity in the area.
WPD officers now have a choice to serve overtime hours patrolling the park, both as uniformed and possibly undercover officers. Bicycle units, as well as K-9 narcotics units, also will be assigned to the area.
"If we enforce this aggressively, we can create a trend for the rest of the summer," Hunter said. "Everybody wants this area cleaned up so they can feel safe around the park, and everyone has the right to do so."
Within the last year, numerous drug arrests have taken place related to activity in the area. In March, a 14-year-old girl was injured in a drive-by shooting just outside Center Lake Pavilion.
Hunter said the heightened surveillance of the park will help eliminate dangerous activities and create a more public-friendly atmosphere.
In other matters, multiple sewer improvement and extension contracts were awarded, allowing three major construction projects to begin around the Warsaw area.
Members adopted an amendment to a Leesburg sewer agreement, allowing the installation of a pump station, force main and gravity sewers in the vicinity of Tippecanoe River and Ind. 15.
The $35,800 amendment is part of a city resolution that hopes to decrease penalties with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for numerous violations the city experienced in 2002.
The board also awarded a contract bid for the construction of a Fairlane Drive sanitary sewer project.
Engineer Larry Long presented a bid summary of the project, and said the original bid price was reduced because the street department's will put asphalt in and around Fairlane Drive.
The contract was awarded to Everest Excavating for a total of $116,375.94.
Also approved Friday was a restoration plan for wetland areas inside the DuBois Richardson Park on Market Street. J.F. New and Associates of Walkerton was awarded a $2,500 contract to submit a plan to IDEM for the revival of swampland in the park, which the city altered last year in hopes of cleaning up the area.
Before action can be taken in the park, IDEM must approve the project.
The board also:
• Approved an agreement for legal services with current city attorney Mike Valentine.
Valentine recently left the offices of Valentine, Lemon and Miner and established the Valentine Law Office. The contract awards him $155-$195 an hour for services until it expires in 2007.
• Approved the hiring of Mike Rice as city fire chief effective June 18. Warsaw's current chief, Mike Warren, plans to retire.
• Approved advertising contracts with WLZQ Q101 for radio spots promoting Movie Mondays, a service the parks department provides every Monday in Central Park.
• Approved a Symbiont rate schedule for engineering services through April 2007.
• Opened bids for the purchase of salt stock as advertised by the street department, they were taken under conisderation.
Members are Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Jerry Patterson and Charlie Smith. The next meeting is scheduled June 16.
