Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE – Town Marshal Joe Hawn told the Winona Lake Town Council Tuesday that his department will host active shooter training at Grace College today and Friday.
“We have, I believe, at this time six agencies that are going to be participating in this training. It’s just going to be good bonding between the departments, too. That’s kind of the thought in this, to bring everyone together,” Hawn said.
The program, called Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Tactics (ALERRT), is through an FBI grant. The free training is available to any community, he said.
Law enforcement officers from the Winona Lake Police Department, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Bremen Police Department, Milford Police Department, Pierceton Police Department and Syracuse Police Department will be trained by former FBI agent and current ALERRT trainer Gary Galdes and three assistant trainers from the FBI, according to a news release from Grace College.
“I think it will be a really good training,” he said.
Fire Chief Mitch Titus said another good thing in the community was the Family Fun Festival held July 7 at the park.
“I think it was awesome,”?he said, adding that his wife enjoyed helping out.
Councilman Dennis Duncan echoed what Titus said, adding that it was a “really fun afternoon.”
Town Coordinator Craig Allebach mentioned “those people in particular that really were responsible for the organization of the Family Festival.” They included Meghan Lincoln, Lorna Ladd, Sandy Shuter and Parks Director Holly Hummitch. “Those ladies did a fantastic job, and I heard so many compliments, and we’ve actually received correspondence of what a great event that was.”
For a first-time deal, he said it included everyone from little kids to senior citizens. The afternoon was wonderful and the weather cooperated, he said.
Next year’s Family Fun Festival is tentatively planned for Aug. 3 and will include barbecue. This year, Allebach said they had 1,000 hot dogs and served about 400 of them, along with potato salad, chips and cookies. Leftovers were taken to the Fellowship Missions homeless shelter and The Beaman Home.
Allebach said they had about 50 volunteers, and the town appreciated the vendors who helped make the event free to all town residents.
“That was completely free to the residents, of course, but it was completely free to the town, too. We raised, from the sponsors, we raised about $8,700 and it’s the first time we had an event, including the community dinner, where we were money ahead at the end. I think we’re a couple of hundred dollars ahead,” he said.
The Family Fun Festival replaced the annual community dinner, which was held for about the last 20 years.
In other business, the council:
• Approved the ordinance vacating an area of land along Auditorium Boulevard and Esplanade Street. At the June meeting, the council approved the vacation for Rob Delp.
“The survey has been done to show those (property) lines,” Council President Bruce Shaffner told the other council members before the vote was taken.
• Approved the 2019 budget calendar as presented by Clerk-Treasurer Kent Adams.
The council’s public hearing is at 6 p.m. Sept. 18, with the adoption at 6 p.m. Oct. 16.
• Heard from Allebach about the upcoming Winona Happenings that will include the Jazz Festival on the Tabernacle lawn from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 28; first day of school is Aug. 14; Grace College Welcome Weekend is Aug. 18; and Canal Days in the Village at Winona will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 25.
• Approved June 19 and July 17 claims totaling $327,679.35.
