By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Kosciusko County has approved a tentative agreement with the city of Warsaw to work on constructing a parking garage in the downtown area.
Officials have not chosen a location for the facility but would use $5 million set aside in the state money provided through the $30 million earmarked to OrthoWorx via the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative.
Officials expect the entire project to cost about $15 million. The city is pledging to cover $2 million to $3 million of that with the county willing to absorb the rest, according to an agreed-upon memo of understanding.
The city and county also plan to hire a company to oversee the parking garage.
Mayor Jeff Grose talked about the plan during a taping of In the Know for News Now Warsaw shortly before the county commissioners approved the plan.
“$5 million didn’t exist six months ago. Now it does. The county is very interested. We’re very interested. So we’ll see in the coming weeks how we can work out the $10 million or more. At least we’re ready and we need to explore further,” Grose said.
Commissioner Brad Jackson offered a few thoughts before casting his vote in support of it.
“This is something we’ve talked about thirty years. Actually, I think (commissioner Eddie) Creighton was one pushing it 30 years ago,” Jackson said. “It’s probably time.”
The county has the greatest need for additional parking and just completed renovating and expanding its main parking lot north of the county jail.
The parking garage is the second project that is part of the OIRI fund to gain traction in the past week. Plans by the city redevelopment commission to purchase land owned by Warsaw Chemical for the purpose of creating an orthopedic innovation and research center with Grace made progress on Monday.
