Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - Telling the plan commission to come up with a better plan, the town council today returned a proposed Park Avenue parking plan to that commission.
Considering a recommendation to allow 30-minute parking on both sides of Park Avenue between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., the council wanted the proposed ordinance reworked to provide residents more flexibility in parking options.
Town Marshal Malcolm Gilbert said he wasn't sure there was a need to pass an ordinance and that doing so would create problems his department doesn't have now.
"The reason I'm concerned is that normally you don't limit parking unless you have a problem and I don't see where we have a problem now, so why don't we just leave it alone," he said.
Council president Brent Wilcoxson said the need to establish parking restrictions now is to be prepared for the commercial development planned for Park Avenue in the future.
"With the commercial development we could have a problem, and that's what the plan commission was addressing - planning for that," he said. "We haven't had a problem for 20 years because we haven't had a downtown commercial district for 20 years."
Despite the expected commercial development, councilman Harold Dunn said, residential parking should be accounted for in any plan.
"Where are the people going to park who live in the apartments at Park and Administration?" Dunn asked.
Wilcoxson said residential parking is the responsibility of the property owner, not the town.
"Our ordinance requires the property owner provide parking for their tenants," Wilcoxson said.
In other business, the council agreed to a sewer hook-up fee schedule for the Villas of Heritage Lake subdivision.
"We have an agreement with Heritage Lake where they pay the $20,000 it cost to extend the line and the tap-on fee was reduced," Wilcoxson said.
The tap-on fee for the Villas was established at $100, with a $540 lot fee.
The council also denied a request by Deborah Lange-Kuitse, 1104 Canal Street, to pay for a portion of the cost for removing a tree in the public alley adjacent to her property.
"The tree is on the easement and it's just a matter of time before it comes down due to the weather, and if it does, it will bring down the power lines," she said. "The estimated cost is $1,700 to cut down the tree and haul it away. I'm willing to pay half because half of the tree is on my property."
Councilman Randy Ruppel said he had a similar problem on his property, but that he, like other town residents, was required to pay for the removal of the tree.
"While I sympathize with your problem, I don't want to set a precedent of the town paying to remove trees from private property when it's the owners responsibility," he said.
He also suggested that NIPSCO be contacted to see if they will remove the tree.
Finally, town engineer Larry Long said requests for proposals on the Robson Road sewer project have gone out and the bid opening is scheduled for March 23.
"Construction could proceed on April 13 and continue through the middle of August," Long said. "The homeowners will need to mark where their service connection is by staking out the location."
Homeowners will be responsible for the connection from their home to the sewer line. The tap- on fee will be $200 and the cost of construction will be equally divided among the homes along Robson Road, with the exception of those already connected to the system.
