The Town Council of Winona Lake, Indiana met in a regular session on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 in the Town Hall at 7:00 a.m.   Councilpersons noted as present or absent:

 

COUNCIL PRESENT:          Jerry Clevenger, Joy Lohse, Rolly Ortega, Retha Hicks

 

ABSENT:                               Jeff Carroll, Dave Delp

 

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

 

Town Council Vice- President Joy Lohse called the meeting to order.  She opened in prayer and led the pledge of allegiance. 

 

Minutes:

 Rolly Ortega made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 3, 2007 Council Meeting.   Jerry Clevenger seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

 

 Winona Happenings”

            October 31, 5-7 p.m.“Trick or Treat” in Winona Lake

            November 9 – Community Appreciation Dinner among the trees at Rodeheaver

                                      Tickets- $15.00

            November 10 to 14 – Festival of Trees at Rodeheaver

 

Floor Topics:            

            Fire Department Request:  Kevin Bell from the fire department was present to request approval for the purchase of ten radios for the department.  The cost of the radios will be $6,910.  There is money in the budget to support the purchase.  Rolly Ortega made a motion to approve the purchase.  Jerry Clevenger seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

            Server:  The office has received a quote for a new server for $5,455.  Retha thinks it is a necessity for the workload that is handled by the office.  The police department server has been used with the Docuware equipment but there have been some problems.  Jerry Clevenger made a motion to approve the purchase of a new server for the office.  Rolly Ortega seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

 

Reports from Supervisors:

            Water Rate Increase:  Notice has been received from Indiana-American Water Co. that rates will increase.  The company is also running a new water line from Kings Highway over to Chestnut Street, including First, Second and Third Streets.  There will be a fire hydrant in the area as well as a six inch water main.

            250 East:  The reconstruction project is on schedule.  Phend & Brown hopes to complete the area between Pierceton Road and the north entrance to Heritage Lake Park before winter.  They will then pull out until spring.  Some work near the railroad track may be completed over the winter.  Phend & Brown will start the resurfacing of various streets in the Town today.

            Dredging:  Craig is receiving quotes from two companies for dredging the canal.  There are a couple of different methods to do the dredging.  One method is to scoop the debris out of the canal, put it in trucks, and haul away.  The other method uses a tugboat, sucks out the debris and pumps it somewhere, in this case an area at the street department.  Brent Wilcoxson suggested using the park property near the volleyball nets.  The Town will need to know how much debris will be removed from the canal so that permits can be obtained to do the work.  Once quotes are received and there is an idea of how often the dredging should take place, Jerry Clevenger suggested that the price of the pier spaces be looked into.  Currently the price of a pier space is a bargain, but the price should be in line with the costs of upkeep of the canal.

            Police Department:  Paul Schmitt is still in the process of meeting with Jim Walmer to finish up the police department rules and regulations.

            Boat Launch:  A resident wondered if an area near Stone Camp could be used for a boat launch.  A fee could be charged and possible parking for trailers could be provided nearby.  Larry Long has been looking into the ownership of the area in question.  Craig will check with Larry on that.  There used to be a private pier in the lake on that property but it is no longer there.

            Greenway:  Rolly Ortega mentioned that the gates along the Greenway in the woods have been vandalized.  Craig stated that the Town originally thought that the gates would remain open except during mountain bike events.  Eric Graves had the gates closed permanently for Greenway traffic to yield to mountain bike traffic.  Craig thought the gates would either be replaced or repaired by Eric’s organization.  The gates will last longer if they are left open except during mountain bike events.  Rolly Ortega stated that the area would look better if the gates are removed until they are repaired.  Pete will take care of removing the gates.  The street department has a regular schedule for sweeping the Greenway.

           

 The meeting was adjourned.

 

 

 

 

           

_________________________                                  ___________________________

 JOY LOHSE                                                             RETHA S. HICKS

VICE- PRESIDENT                                                    CLERK-TREASURER