The Town Council of Winona Lake, Indiana met in a regular session on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 in the Town Hall at 7:00 a.m. Councilpersons noted as present or absent:

COUNCIL PRESENT: Jeff Carroll, Jerry Clevenger, Dave Delp, Joy Lohse, Rolly Ortega, Retha Hicks

ABSENT:

OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Allebach, Pete O’Connell, Paul Schmitt

Town Council President Dave Delp called the meeting to order. He opened in prayer and led the pledge of allegiance.

Minutes:

Jeff Carroll made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 13, 2007 Council Meeting. Jerry Clevenger seconded the motion. The motion passed

“Winona Happenings”

April 16, 2:00 p.m. – 107.3 “Talk of the Town”

April 21 – Healthfest, Westminster Hall

April 24 – WLPA annual meeting, 7:00 p.m. Ramada Inn

May 4 to 6 – Bike Festival

May 5 – Grace Graduation

Floor Topics:

Seawall Concern: Mr. Nelson had a concern about a situation at 1100 W. Canal. (He is actually referring to the area along the canal across the street from that address.) There are more kids running around unsupervised on the island than there has ever been. The seawall is now cracked and the water is twelve inches deep. He felt that with all the kids running around unsupervised, it could cause the town some problems. Last May there was a request for a hole to be filled in that location. The street department has been out several times filling in holes along the canal in the past year. They will look at this particular situation.

Auditorium Blvd: Jan Nelson mentioned the area along the lake at the end of Auditorium Blvd. on Esplanade that she brought up at the last meeting. She spoke with Mr. Shaffner again concerning the seawall. He had spoken with the DNR and NIPSCO regarding moving a light pole. Craig Allebach stated that the Town did find a permit on file from the DNR for seawall repairs. Craig is unsure of anything else regarding the situation. A citizen can pay for and have a light pole moved by NIPSCO. Retha noted that if a person maintains a right-of-way for a period of time, it can be considered their property. It is a concern that needs to be looked into. Dave Delp said the Town will follow up on this issue.

Mrs. Nelson suggested again that pier spaces be rented in that area for a fee of $500.

Retha stated that this would be a different situation than the canal area but Jim Walmer, the town attorney, could take a look at it.

Approval for Trailhead Sign:

This request is for construction for a trailhead sign for the Heritage Trail to be placed at the beginning of the trail where it intersects with Roy Street. Masonry work will cost $4,180. The cost and the installation of the sign will be $6,694 for a total cost of $10,774. The Greenway Art Commission has already advertised for donations to help pay for the sign. Jeff Carroll made a motion to approve the sign at the trailhead, to be paid for with donations. Jerry Clevenger seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Town Engineer Agreement:

Larry Long submitted an agreement to the town for services for 2007. This agreement is an increase of 3% over last year’s agreement. Craig suggested that both Larry Long and Jim Walmer attend council meetings only by request so that some money could be saved. Jerry Clevenger thought that if they aren’t at a meeting at least once a month, they needed to at least be kept up-to-date. They do bring a historical perspective to issues. Another idea would be to put the engineer report and the attorney reports at the beginning of the meeting, so that they could leave. Jerry Clevenger made a motion to approve the town engineer agreement. Jeff Carroll seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Town Attorney Agreement:

The agreement for 2007 for legal services from Jim Walmer is an increase of $10 per hour over 2006 rates. Jerry Clevenger made a motion to approve this agreement. Rolly Ortega seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Wooster Road Improvements:

The area on Wooster Road between Presidential Drive and 250 East needs improvements. The road will be heavily used when the Orthopedic Center opens. The road definitely needs to be resurfaced, but Retha asked if the council wanted to pursue that at this time, if the street would need to be widened in the near future. It was decided that a widening project would increase the road by just one lane, or possibly just add three feet to the sides of the road for a “bicycle path”. The council decided to proceed with a request for bids for resurfacing the streets. Quotes will also be requested to widen the street to three lanes. After all information is received, a decision will be made. Retha felt that there is enough money to do whichever is decided on. Craig is also looking into a grant to put sidewalks along Wooster Road.

Reports from Supervisors:

Police Department: Paul Schmitt has received a grant for Evidence/Property Room management. The grant is for $7,031.64. Matching funds from the town is $2,068.36. Paul has the money in his budget for the matching funds. He is also getting a new dog cage for the new police car. It will be paid for by donations. There is a dog problem in town that Paul is looking into.

Greenway: Craig met with Warsaw representatives to develop rules and discuss signs for rules to be placed along the Greenway trail. He is meeting with Kraig Macke from GAI today to go over the information. Signs will need to be ordered by the end of the week in order to be installed by the grand opening.

Park Board: The park board is looking into adding a family restroom to the existing restroom facilities in the park. The current restrooms are in need of repairs and upgrading. The facility will be getting quite a bit of additional use with the opening of the Greenway Trail. Jerry requested the council financially support the improvement of the existing restrooms. Retha concurred.

Canal Lawsuit: Retha updated the council on the expenses for the canal lawsuit. To date, the town has expended $80,177. The lawsuit is still pending; the plaintiffs have now requested a change of venue.

Jefferson School: Retha, Craig, Dave Delp, and Rolly and Jennifer Ortega visited Jefferson School recently. Jennifer Ortega donated a July 4^th poster from each of the past ten years that she has done them for the town. Mrs. Buehler’s 4^th grade class has written a book about Winona Lake. They had it published and a copy of the book has been donated to the town. It is a wonderful book and the class is a finalist for an award.

Greenway Art: Retha stated that the deadline for artist proposals for the Greenway Art is May 31^st. The committee has received quite a few responses already. The benches have arrived and the street department will be installing them after the committee marks the locations.

Bids: Retha will be bidding out contracts for the town’s insurance and for trash pickup. Generally, those are both three year contracts that are up this year.

The meeting was adjourned.

_________________________ ___________________________

DAVID DELP RETHA S. HICKS

PRESIDENT CLERK-TREASURER