Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - Turning the community building into a senior citizens' center has the contractor reporting one bit of difficulty after another.
Hoeppner Construction of Fort Wayne was selected Jan. 9 as contractor of the senior center with a bid of $236,800, and they have proceeded with the work.
Town council members heard from town coordinator Craig Allebach Monday night about the project.
First the porch deck needed to be leveled because it was about three inches off from end to end. Then it was discovered the fireplace is in very bad shape. now the "back" end has so much dry rot building a new facility was considered.
However, the town could have to reapply for all the grant monies if a decision is made to begin anew.
No contract change orders have been requested to date.
Street department supervisor Pete O'Connell reported the four lift station pumps have been repaired. He said all of them should be installed by Tuesday, leaving two more pumps to be repaired and installed.
O'Connell also said the lift station near the Stonehenge Golf Course seventh tee is flooded with ditch water and often six inches under water.
"It's a bad infiltration," he said of the problem, noting that a ditch was dug directly to the lift station.
Allebach said the course owners were always very cooperative and would most likely take care of the problem immediately, either paying the town to direct the water away or hiring someone else to do it.
In other business the council:
• Announced council member and town coordinator 2002 liaison assignments as: building inspector, Jeff Carroll; fire department, Rolly Ortega; solid waste district, David Delp; park department, Craig Snow; housing authority, Jerry Clevenger; publicity committee, Clevenger; street department, Carroll; redevelopment, Carroll; police department, Snow; CR 250E project, Ortega and Delp; supervisors, Allebach; Kosciusko Development Inc., Allebach; plan commission, Snow and Ortega; and Board of Zoning Appeals, Carroll.
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing oversized vehicle parking restrictions. The ordinance includes buses, recreational vehicles, semi-tractor trailers or any other vehicle, trailer or object that interferes, impedes or interrupts the normal flow of traffic.
Violators will be cited with a nonmoving traffic offense.
• Tabled an ordinance for the adoption of building codes.
• Approved the contribution of permit fees for housing authority projects, as requested by Housing Authority of Warsaw representative Pam Kennedy. The $25 fees will be used as in-kind matches for owner-occupied and retrofitting for the disabled housing rehabilitation projects.
• Heard from Allebach regarding the Stonehenge street lights, saying "it's out of mothballs." Light unit installation should cost $13,000 to $15,000.
• Heard Peggy Leslie resigned as park activities director.
Town council members are Rolly Ortega, Jerry Clevenger, David Delp, Craig Snow and Jeff Carroll.
The next council meeting is Feb. 26 at 7 a.m.
