COUNCIL
PRESENT: Jerry Clevenger, Dave Delp, Joy Lohse, Rolly Ortega
ABSENT: Jeff
Carroll, Retha Hicks
OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Allebach,
Pete O’Connell, Paul Schmitt, Mitch Titus
Town Council
President Dave Delp called the meeting to order. He opened in prayer and led the pledge of
allegiance.
Minutes:
Jerry Clevenger
made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 27, 2007 Council
Meeting, and the March 8,
2007 Executive session. Dave
Delp seconded the motion. The motion
passed
“Winona Happenings”
March 19, 2:00 p.m. – 107.3 “Talk of the Town”
Floor Topics:
Vacations: Jan
Nelson thanked Joy Lohse and the rest of the council for their work regarding
the dead birds and the water quality of Winona Lake.
Mrs. Nelson stated that there is a
strip of land at the end of Auditorium
Blvd. that has not been vacated. She encouraged the council not to vacate that
area. She felt that pier spaces could be rented by the town in that area for at
least $500. She thought pier spaces
could also be rented out along Park Avenue in
the area where the vacation is being considered. She also expressed concern about a neighbor
constructing a seawall along Esplanade with the approval of the DNR and the
town. Craig explained that the DNR has
jurisdiction over seawall construction and the town has not had any contact
regarding this issue.
Vacation of Park Avenue:
This vacation has been discussed for the past
several months. Larry Long was on
vacation so the council does not yet have the legal description for the other
area along Park Avenue that would be helpful
for this issue. Dave Delp felt that the
vacation in question should be voted on now and the other issue can be
addressed separately. Joy Lohse made a
motion to not vacate the area on Park Avenue
at this time. Rolly
Ortega seconded the motion.
The motion passed.
Approval for Purchase of Bunker Gear for Fire Department:
The fire department is requesting approval to
purchase three sets of bunker gear for a cost of $4,542. A few sets of bunker gear are replaced each
year so they won’t all have to be replaced at once. Jerry Clevenger
made a motion to approve the purchase. Rolly Ortega seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Report from Town Attorney:
Jim Walmer has been researching an issue for
Retha and also one for Paul Schmitt.
Reports from Supervisors:
Greenway: LaPorte
Construction has returned today to continue work on the Greenway project. Craig will be applying for a grant for the
third time to construct a 1.9 mile loop to the Greenway near Lakeland Christian
Academy. The Greenway trail is already getting quite a
bit of use. There are some issues that
will need to be worked out. Signs with
rules will be posted along the trail.
There were some concerns regarding if the trail would be open at
night. Paul Schmitt stated that the
trail will be patrolled by the police department using a bicycle. Craig is talking with Pete about the street
department maintaining the trail, including snow removal and general
maintenance.
Pete stated that the benches ordered
by the Greenway Art Commission arrived yesterday. They look very nice.
The Grand Opening for the Greenway
Trail will be on May 4th. It
was originally planned for 1:00
but Governor Daniels’ office has requested a later time.
Wooster Road: The section from Presidential Drive to
250 East is in bad shape. The council
asked Pete if he could get some quotes to repair the road before the 250 East
project begins and hopefully before the first weekend in May when the bike race
and Grace’s graduation is scheduled.
Bike Race: Craig had a meeting with Rob Gast today
regarding the bike races that will be held the first weekend in May. It will be the same as last year with the
addition of a race on Saturday afternoon (after graduation) that will take
place along Kings Highway,
Wooster Road, and Pierceton Road. The extra race will encourage visitors to
spend the night and bring in more tourist dollars to the area. Notification to area residents will be the
same as last year. In many cases last
year, residents who live along the path of the races cheered the racers
on. Craig is working with the street
department to offer use of a picnic table to those residents who would like to
participate in that way.
Police Department: Paul Schmitt stated that he will be
picking up the new police car tomorrow.
Fire Department: Mitch Titus said the fire department has
received a donation to place a stone at the fire station.
Streetlight: One of the decorative lights near Argonne and Winona
Avenue broke about three weeks ago. It was repaired today. The town received numerous phone calls about
the broken glass lying on the street.
The light belongs to The Village at Winona and they were contacted several times
about it.
Meeting: Joy Lohse announced that a meeting has
been scheduled for March 21st at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center. The meeting is for citizens and various
representatives who are concerned about the quality of the water in the
lake.
The meeting was adjourned.
_________________________ ___________________________
DAVID DELP RETHA S. HICKS