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Covering Milford, Syracuse & North Webster, Indiana
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Final Flight
Page 6
One Nation Under God www.the-papers.com
Council addressing town traffic issues %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 6WDII :ULWHU Syracuse Town Council approved revising resolution 8-75 which would change the intersection of Oak Street and Polywood Way from a four-way stop to a two-way stop during its monthly meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 15. Police Chief Jim Layne was instructed to have the new ordinance ready to sign at the March council meeting. The council approved resolution 2022-01 regarding the Oakwood housing project. The resolution states the town will commence and complete a water improvement project known as the Lakeside Drive Water Loop, which is needed to eliminate a dead-end water main, and which will increase water quality for all residents as a whole, particularly for houses in the vicinity of Lakeside Drive. The resolution further states the town will construct a new lift station to serve along with a new forced main to serve the area within and around Oakwood Park and the Lakeside Drive area. Funds for such projects shall not come from the fund containing monies reserved for development within the relevant tax increment finance
district, but shall be paid for with existing utility funds, economic development income tax funds or other grants or sources of funding available. In accordance with past economic development procedures developed by the town, the town does anticipate monies in existence that have accumulated as part of the TIF area encompassing Oakwood Resort and/or Oakwood Park, shall be reserved for necessary improvements within the park in accordance with Indiana law. The resolution further states the town anticipates supporting any reasonable tax abatement requests made by developers of the Oakwood Resort area, when they are otherwise eligible for tax abatement in accordance with applicable provisions of Indiana law. The council tabled several task orders presented by Commonwealth Engineering since the council didn’t have enough information to act and there were questions regarding the orders. In the department reports, David Wilkinson, town manager, reported he received two quotes regarding updating the town’s comprehensive plan. After some discussion with the council, Wilkinson said he Continued on page 2
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Three Wawasee students recognized at SWCD 65th annual Zoom meeting
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Turkey Creek Conservancy Board swears in newest member In its first annual meeting held Saturday, Feb. 12, the Turkey Creek Dam and Dike Conservancy District swore in Todd Mikel as a new board member. Mikel will represent District 1 of the conservancy which was represented by John Earnst before he moved out of the area. Bill Pipp, conservancy chairman, explained Mikel’s election was uncontested. In addition to being nominated by Earnst, the conservancy received five letters from free holders in the district in support of Mikel. Mikel will serve on the conservancy board for a four-year term. After the annual meeting, the conservancy moved into its first quarterly meeting. The conservancy is required to meet quarterly per state law.
Pipp explained the dike project is the first official project for the conservancy. The repair of the water control device in Crosson Mill Park was done in collaboration with the Syracuse Town Council, Wawasee Property Owners Association, Syracuse Lake Association and private donations. David Hollenbeck, attorney for the conservancy, explained the process of the dike project, which includes acquiring permits and easements, having the Indiana Department of Natural Resources approve the repair plan. Once the DNR approves and costs are established, the conservancy will hold a public meeting to give the public an opportunity to review the plan. After the public meeting competitive bidding can take place. For the dike project, a 30-foot easement has been granted by the affected property owners. Jeff Rowe, from Baker Tilly, the conservancy’s financial consul-
tant, explained since the district is new, there wasn’t much to report on. This will be the first year the conservancy will be receiving tax distributions. Pipp noted the conservancy is expected to receive approximately $169,000 in its general fund, half distributed in June and half distributed in December. In its cumulative fund, the conservancy is expected to receive a $454,000, also in two distributions. The approximate cost of the dike repair is approximately $554,000. Rowe noted the conservancy district will receive $25,000 more than anticipated due to an increase in the assessed value of real estate within the conservancy district. Pipp projected the dike project could be completed this year. Once it’s complete, the conservancy would re-evaluate the tax Continued on page 3
The Democrats will have several contested races in the May primary according to ballot information with the Indiana Secretary of State’s Election Commission. Haneefah Khaaliq, Valerie McCray and Thomas M. McDermott Jr., have filed to win the candidacy for the U.S. Senate race. The winner will match up against the Republican winner, either Danny Niederberger or Sen. Todd Young in November. There will also be a race for the
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U.S. Rep. 2nd District nomination. Stephen Kurant and Paul D. Steury have filed to that nomination and will face U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski in November. The 2nd District includes Jefferson, Plain and Van Buren townships. The third race for the Democrat party will be that of the nomination for U.S. Rep. 3rd District. Candidates include Phillip Beachy, Aaron (A.J.) Calkins, Tommy Schrader and Gary L. Snyder. The winner of the primary will face Re-
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County opens bids for two road projects, one south of Milford %\ /($+ 6$1'(5 6WDII :ULWHU A preliminary step for making repairs on sections of Old SR 15 south of Milford and Old SR 30 was made at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Feb. 15. Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty opened the two bids the county received for the roadwork, which will be completed with the county relying on an Indiana Department of Transportation Community Crossings Matching Grant. The bids were $1,410,939 from
Democrats to have several contested races
Inside
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Three Wawasee High School students were honored by the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District during its 65th annual meeting Tuesday, Feb. 15. Cade Beer, Jared Beer and Justin Mullet were recognized as being the top high school soil judgers in the county in 2021. The annual meeting was held virtually, with 18 people participating. In addition to the three Wawasee students, Nicole Ziemek, Tippecanoe Valley High School, was recognized as being the top high school soil judger. Other awards announced included: Indiana River Friendly Farmer, Conservation Education and ConserContinued on page 2
publican challenger U.S. Rep. Jim Banks. The 3rd District includes Tippecanoe and Turkey Creek townships. Dee M. Moore will be unopposed in the primary to fill the Democrat challenger position for State Rep. District 22 in the November election. District 22 includes Jefferson, Plain and Van Buren townships. The only other Democrat candidate on the local ballot will be Gaynor R. Worden for Plain Township Advisory Board.
Serving Others
Phend and Brown of Milford and $1,547,369 from Brooks Construction of Fort Wayne. The road work includes repairs on Old SR 15 from Waubee Road at Milford to Van Buren Street in Leesburg. It also includes work on Old SR 30 from SR 13 to East County Line. A decision on the bids was tabled for further discussion. Potential Sewer District A new regional sewer district
might be formed in the county. Ken Jones with Jones, Petrie and Rafinski engineering firm updated the commissioners. He said some people are interested in possibly having one on the east side of Webster Lake. “It is the very last area of Webster Lake that does not have a sewer,” he said. The households to be served total more than 180. Jones noted the other sewer disContinued on page 2
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