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WINONA LAKE - The Plan Commission is still deciding what to do about the pier ordinance.
This is the third time the ordinance has been discussed and nothing has been decided yet. Town officials say a decision will be made before next year.
The main issues are still the appearance and safety of the canal. Plan commission member Randy Ruppel suggested rewording the ordinance. Ruppel had a list of ideas for rewording, including: piers must be in good condition and if they are not, a $25 fine will be levied; piers must be removed by Nov. 1; piers must be commercially manufactured; and boat covers must be in good condition and be commercially manufactured.
Ruppel also said, "I think we ought to raise the (rent) rate." He suggested a rate of $100.
The current rate is $80 for pontoons and $70 for other boats.
This summer all the pier spots have been rented and some people have rented two or three spots to keep other boats off their property.
The commission also discussed taking all the piers off the east side of the canal, which would be 24 piers lost.
Another suggestion was restricting piers to Winona Lake residents. However, Winona Lake is a public lake and therefore must be made available to everyone.
The commission finally decided on these changes: All piers must be out by Nov. 1; all piers and boat covers must be commercially manufactured; the rent rate will be raised with a special rate for Winona Lake residents. Residents get first choice and must claim their piers by May 1. The rate will be at least $100 for residents and $150 for nonresidents and these rates may be more.
This issue will be discussed more at the next meeting.
The commission also discussed the issue of large vehicles parking on the street.
Building commissioner Dick Leaf said a parking space on the street is 9 feet wide and 20 feet long with maneuvering space. This gives about 250 square feet per vehicle.
"Anything other than a car could not fit into that according to the master plan," Leaf said.
The town ordinance also says that a vehicle can be parked in a spot for 10 days without moving. However, it must be moved every 10 days even if its a foot forward or backward.
Town coordinator Craig Allebach said he received a complaint last week of a boat trailer parked in a residential spot. The commission discussed the difference between "parking" and "storing" and members said a time limit for large vehicles in parking spaces would be a good idea.
Nothing was decided and the parking issue will be discussed in the next meeting. The commission will open up a public meeting to get residents' views on the parking issue before they take final action. The date of this meeting has not yet been decided.
Members of the Winona Lake Plan Commission include: president Mike Grill, Randy Ruppel, Rolly Ortega, Craig Allebach and Craig Snow.
