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WINONA LAKE - The Winona Lake Town Council selected Bonar Group as the engineering consultant for the upgrading of CR 250E, Tuesday.
Council President Jerry Clevenger said a "committee met and made some recommendations."
Councilman Rolly Ortega said the decision before councilmen was to figure out "who our engineering consultant will be."
The committee chose between Bonar and GAI Consultants Inc., Fort Wayne.
Ortega said the consensus of the committee was to go ahead with Bonar because of the work they've already put into the upgrading project.
"They did a great job of putting that study together," Ortega said. "They have voluntarily come to each of our meetings to keep up to speed."
Ortega also said the town of Winona Lake has a good working relationship with Bonar.
"So that's who we recommend," councilman David Delp said.
Possible improvements for the road include storm sewer drainage, curb guttering and sidewalks.
Town Coordinator Craig Allebach said they "want to move as fast as we can and it's going to be a slow process anyway, I'm afraid."
Ortega said at June's council meeting that the upgrading will probably still be two years before any construction is seen, due to paperwork and numerous steps the town will have to go through.
"That was a hard part to swallow," Ortega said last month.
Allebach also said Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson "has been a valuable resource with this project."
Bonar was unanimously approved and selected as the engineering consultant.
Negotiations with Bonar is the next step for the town council. Phases and costs for completion of the upgrading will be discussed.
In other business:
• Councilmen approved a police car donation from the Warsaw Police Department.
Allebach said the Winona Lake Fire Department requested an old car from WPD. The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved the donation Friday.
"When we take a buck in there Tuesday morning," Allebach said. "They'll give us a car."
Allebach explained that the $1 price is for legal purposes.
"We bought a car (for $1)," Clevenger said. "What a deal!"
• A wastewater write-off for property at 505 School St. was approved by councilmen.
"That property has a court-approved bankruptcy," Clevenger said.
Total write-off for the property is $201.39.
"This is just a formality," Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks said.
"O.K. so we have to do it," councilmen Jeff Carroll said with a smile.
• Councilmen discussed 2001 budgets and approved the discussion to continue at next month's meeting.
"I think the budgets are pretty much in line," Allebach said. "We're pretty much within the 5 percent we need to be at in terms of the tax rate."
Hicks will be double-checking numbers turned in by departments.
Allebach told councilmen that Hicks "is seeking your approval to crunch those numbers."
"Right now we're just trying to get it down to 5 percent," Hicks said.
She said the revenue side of the budget and calculations will be discussed at the next meeting.
With Sofamor Danek moving to their new building on U.S. 30, questions about Winona Lake's budget have surfaced.
"Sofamor Danek moving really doesn't affect us until 2002," Delp said. "We'll still get money from them through 2001."
"That is correct," Hicks said.
Councilmen approved the budget discussion and evaluation to continue forward.
• Town Engineer Larry Long informed the council that the Heritage Lake Preliminary Subdivision Plat was approved by the plan commission prior to the council meeting.
The project includes a 7.898 acre addition at CR 250E. and Heritage Lake.
Long said the subdivision addition will be single family residency. He also said the planner's preliminary plat approval "allows them to go ahead and start construction."
• Long also informed councilmen that field work for Southtown Connector Road is scheduled for Thursday.
"So, a few days after that, I'll have your legal description," Long said.
• Allebach told councilmen that the Winona Lake Fire Department was "really proud of their new fire truck."
The possibility of charging for fire protection was also discussed.
Allebach said the fire department doesn't really want to charge because "that's what you pay taxes for."
He said seven of the 14 volunteer fire departments in the county already do charge for fires.
"It's something you send to the insurance companies rather than the homeowner," Allebach said.
He also said the issue came up because someone asked why their insurance company wasn't billed.
Clevenger said he had mixed emotions on the idea.
Ortega said he didn't see anything negative about charging insurance companies and Carroll said he thought it would be okay to charge them.
"It's an avenue to aid into the volunteer department that we have," Ortega said.
Allebach said the money would come from insurance companies and not homeowners.
Town Attorney Jim Walmer said the money charged will go to the volunteer fire department and and can only be used for fire-fighting purposes such as equipment, buildings, property for fire-fighting, protection or other fire services.
Walmer also said according to state statute the fire department can file a lawsuit to collect unpaid service charges from homeowners.
"I definitely know they (fire department) are not interested in that," Allebach said.
The issue was tabled.
• Allebach informed councilmen that the street department "has started spraying for mosquitoes" in the evenings.
• Ortega shared Allebach's business card with councilmen and suggested that each get 20 to 50 cards printed for themselves.
Members of the Winona Lake Town Council include: President Jerry Clevenger, Jeff Carroll, David Delp, Craig Snow, Rolly Ortega and Craig Allebach.
