Erin Porter reacts to receiving the Bill Reneker Community Service Award.

WINONA LAKE — Winona Lake Limitless Park Committee Chair Erin Porter was named the 2014 Bill Reneker Memorial Community Service Award winner during the annual Winona Lake Community Appreciation Dinner, held Thursday evening, Nov. 12, at Westminster Hall on the campus of Grace College.

The MasterWorks program also received a fond farewell, though it will not leave the area altogether until next year.

The evening opened with the Pledge of Allegiance by local Boy Scouts and a performance of the national anthem and opening invocation.

After dinner, Craig Allebach introduced local officials who were present. Jeremy Marsh gave an update on the Village at Winona, recapping the year’s events and highlighting a few that are still to come. He also recognized businesses in the village that are under new ownership.

Allebach also gave an update on the greenway extension, outlining a few problems workers have run into with soil and showing slides of the project as it nears completion.

Porter deemed the new Winona Lake Splash Pad a success, noting that even on rainy days, there was always someone out there. She gave a few examples of how the splash pad is accessible to people of all abilities and recalled seeing children with wheelchairs darting in and out of the water sprayers.

The next phase of the project is accessible playground equipment. The phase has been broken down to sub-phases one through five. Grants have already come in, including one for $15,000 that arrived this Thursday, Nov. 12. The Kosciusko County Community Foundation and a number of other local organizations have all contributed to the playground, bringing funds above the $1 million mark.

The committee will also be able to purchase playground at half-price and will store it over the winter with plans to host a community build day next spring to assemble it.

Allebach gave updates on local improvement projects, including upgrades to several parking lots, manhole cover replacements and the decorative lights on the island.

Home improvement awards went to Denny and Cindy Hepler, David and Clelda Benning and Alan and Lori Hoover for major renovation and remodeling to their homes and properties.

MasterWorks violinist Gert Kumi gave a testimonial about the program, then performed a selection with harp accompaniment. A few guests wiped away tears as a short film played, with interviews from local residents discussing what MasterWorks has meant to them.

Dr. Patrick Kavanaugh of MasterWorks spoke briefly, saying there are still a few local performances coming up before the organization moves to its new location in Ohio. A Christmas show will take place the first Sunday in December, plus a Valentine’s Day concert and a performance in the spring.

An overwhelmed Porter received her award and talked about what the Limitless Park project has meant to her.

The evening wrapped up with door prize drawings before the crowd slowly dispersed.