Megan E. Bortner was sworn in as a Warsaw police officer at the Warsaw Board of Works meeting Friday.
Road closures were approved for the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club as requested by Brent Mock, for the City of Lakes Car Show May 16. Center Street from High to Lake streets; Buffalo Street from Market to Main streets and Indiana from Market to Main streets will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A letter of engagement with Baker Tilly for advisory services was approved. The company will continue to prepare and update the city’s comprehensive financial plan. The document includes a projection of future expenses and income, which Mayor Joe Thallemer said he found invaluable.
A letter to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation requesting the remaining balance of the Stellar Project Fund be used to relocate and remodel the Warsaw Skate Park was approved. Plans are to reestablish the park in Richardson Dubois Park along East Market Street from Boggs Industrial Park. About $20,000 remains in the fund.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Mike Wilson requested the Critical Incident Stress Management Team be certified as an International Critical Incident Stress Foundation Team. Team members include firefighters, police officers and Parkview Samaritan staff along with a Department of Natural Resources officer. The fire territory board approved this new designation. Costs are less than $300 a year, Wilson said.
Wilson also requested the territory be a potential Assistance to Firefighters Grant recipient. The money will upgrade radio systems for all emergency personnel to the 800/700 talk-groups system. The territory’s cost will be 10%, or $14,461 of the total $144,614 value.
North Webster Fire Department is the host recipient for the grant, which also was approved by the WWFT board.
Wilson also requested permission to accept an Indiana Department of Homeland Security grant to receive a disinfecting fogger unit, which was approved.
Sheila Wieringa, parks department recreation director, presented the following contracts, which were approved:
• Airtight, $1,300, entertainment for the blues and jazz Motown summer concert, Aug. 20.
• Cabildo, $1,200, entertainment for the Latin summer concert, May 28.
• Matt Gabriel, $750, entertainment for the folk summer concert, June 4.
• Kari Holmes, $1,300, entertainment for the country-pop concert June 18.
• Kennedy’s Kitchen, $1,500, entertainment for the Irish summer concert, June 25.
• The Kingsmen, $2,500, entertainment for the gospel summer concert, Aug. 27.
• Magnolia Soul, $3,000, entertainment for the ’80s/’90s summer concert, Aug. 6.
• Smooth Edge 2, $1,000, entertainment for an a capella concert, July 16.
• Whistle Pigs, $800, for the brass big band concert, Aug. 13.
Thallemer reminded everyone the contracts were for the regular Friday night series. Last year, the concerts were held in July and August as the city adjusted to the pandemic.
The board approved $2,500 each to Center Lake Conservation, Pike Lake and Winona Lake Preservation Associations to promote preservation, conservation and maintenance programs around their respective lake areas.
Jeremy Skinner, community development coordinator, presented pay application No. 6 for $24,736.34 for the CR 300N and Shelden Street intersection improvement project, as requested by Phend & Brown of Milford.
The board also approved preliminary engineering a pay application, No. 7, from American Structurepoint of Indianapolis for $34,090.22 for work on the Anchorage Road project. The city will pay 20% of these costs, with the Indiana Department of Transportation paying 80%.
Also, for the Anchorage Road project, was a request for $123,250 for right-of-way procurement and services required by the federal and INDOT. Following the right-of-way acquisitions in 2021, the project will be bid in spring 2022. The work will be from American Structurepoint, too. The city will pay 20% of these costs, too.
A pay application from Slege Construction for $7,787.50 for work on the Buffalo Street Plaza was approved. This project should be completed this spring, Skinner said.
Justin Taylor, city planner, presented a contract with the state to make $1,123,407.60 in state funds available for the Lincoln Elementary Sidewalk Project. The city will pay the remaining 20% of costs.
BOW member and Councilman Jeff Grose said it’s great to see kids using the sidewalks.
Police Chief Scott Whitaker presented the interlocal agreement with Warsaw Community Schools with a credit request in the amount of $37,654.94, which was approved. The department was unable to provide a fourth officer the first semester while the fourth school resource officer was on military leave.
Grose said as a teacher he appreciates the presence of the officers in the school.
Brian Davison, wastewater utility superintendent, presented an on-call services contract with Christopher Burke Engineering if technical assistance with stormwater management, water quality monitoring and permit program compliance is necessary. The contract is limited to $18,000 for 2021.
Christopher Burke Engineering also will provide updates to the 2021 ordinance and technical standards, at a cost not to exceed $10,000, and the company will provide 2021 virtual webinar assistance not to exceed $2,000.
Ryan Workman, stormwater coordinator, presented a contract with Cardno of Walkerton to maintain the various stormwater sites free from weeds, keep culverts and outflows clean and maintain native species present, now through 2023, for a fee of $7,620, not to exceed $12,870, which was approved.
The sites include the WWTU rain garden, Lincoln Elementary rain garden, the Sherman Street church rain garden, areas along Pike Lake’s shoreline, the Beyer Farm Greenway, Kelly pond and the Eisenhower basins.
Davison also presented two pay applications, No. 88, for $2,143 and No. 89 in the amount of $40,712, for work at the wastewater utility from Wessler Engineering, which were approved. NV Grant Services’ pay application No. 90 for $1,170 for payroll oversight for the expansion project, also was approved.
Davison said work at the plant was basically completed. The plant is functional, he said, with grading and reseeding of the property to occur in the spring.
