Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Sometimes people change their minds.
Warsaw resident Tom Buchan, who owns property on South Union Street that the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District is considering buying, changed his.
Initially, the district discussed leasing Buchan's property for approximately $1,600 per month for five years with the option of buying the property from Buchan after two years. The KCSWMD wants to put a household hazardous waste collection site and offices on Buchan's property. If they don't buy the property, the district could renew the lease for another five years after every fifth year. The district wants their lease payments to count toward the purchase price.
Mike Armey, attorney for the KCSWMD, said Buchan decided he did not want to give the district credit for any of the rental payments and wanted to charge an additional $5,000.
He said he saw two options available for the district if they still want to buy the property. He said they could buy it straight out for approximately the assessed value of $200,000 or lease it and try to buy it later.
Board member David Delp asked if Buchan would still give them a two-year lease. Armey said Buchan would, but the lease payments would not count toward the the purchase price.
"Is he yanking us around?" asked board member Joe Thallemer.
Armey said he didn't think so but he didn't think Buchan was clear on what he wanted to do until they actually sat down and began talking about the property.
KCSWMD Director Marsha Eikenberry said she saw at least two other properties available they could purchase for a household hazardous waste collection site.
Asked if the board was against buying the property right out, board member David Delp said not necessarily, but it is an issue of financing it.
If the district really wants the property, Armey said, and they can find the financing, he recommends they may want to buy the property outright. He said financing wouldn't be particularly difficult.
"Personally," said Warsaw mayor and district board member Ernie Wiggins, "I think we should go ahead and do it."
Armey was directed to negotiate on a final price with Buchan and present it to the board later.
The current district office is being rented for $550 per month and the lease runs out at the end of this year.
In other business:
• The board approved two resolutions, one giving Eikenberry permission to apply for an Indiana Department of Environmental Management household hazardous waste grant and the other to operate a waste management service.
• The board approved Eikenberry to advertise for an additional appropriation for next month's meeting.
• Eikenberry reported there will be a composting site in the county. She said Superior Excavating and Dale Custer made the decision to pursue the purchase of the Frontier windrow turner, using grant money from IDEM. To meet the deadline for the grant agreement, the equipment order had to be placed and the 25 percent advance spent by Oct. 12. Final arrangements and the purchase agreement were made.
She said they also received the final grant agreement for the funds to promote the site. The district will pursue meetings with Warsaw and other municipalities to offer services and begin collecting materials from those areas.
"We have a lot of leg work to do on setting up the program," Eikenberry said.
The next meeting of the SWMD board is Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. at 112 E. Center St., Warsaw.
Members of the board include county comissioners Avis Gunter, Brad Jackson, Eddie Creighton; Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins; Warsaw councilman Joe Thallemer; Winona Lake councilman David Delp; and county councilwoman Kathryn Teel.
