No-Shows In Winona Lake Wastewater Appeal
WINONA LAKE — A no-show hearing and miscellaneous year-end items topped off the agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 15, Winona Lake Town Council meeting.
Owners of a property at 77 Kings Highway were a no-show in a hearing they had requested with the council pertaining to wastewater charges incurred over the last several months. A representative was to have been present at the meeting
A request by the previous owner for disconnect had previously been denied. When the property changed hands last spring, the new owners were informed that the bill was in arrears. According to Town Coordinator Craig Allebach, town officials went out to inspect the situation and to locate where the disconnect would be.
“They were of the understanding that it was to be disconnected in order to stop the charges,” Allebach said.
Allebach went on to say that the owners opted not to disconnect out of concern that it would be difficult to get the boiler back up and running. He added that they were dumping water from the boiler into the wastewater system.
When the new owners took over, charges were at $56,000. Those charges, he said, have gone down and are now at around $5,000.
After some discussion, the council decided to deny the appeal.
“We told them what to do not to get charged and they didn’t do it,” council member Robert Swanson said.
Other news:
- A Martin Luther King Community Celebration is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 18, at the Manahan Orthopaedic Center, Grace College.
- Thanks went to outgoing council members Terry Howie and Randy Swanson for their time serving on the council. Both Howie and Swanson decided not to run for re-election.
- A request came from Police Chief Paul Schmitt to formalize purchase of a new police vehicle from Kerlin for $28,61.74. The council approved the request.
- The council voted to renew the annual contract between the Winona Lake Parks Department and Wayne Township for $12,000 for summer recreation programs.
- Clerk-treasurer Kent Adams requested permission to make any year-end transfers to keep funds balanced.
- The decorative lights have been fully installed on the island and are operational.
- Projects for 2015 have been completed, including parking lot repaving. Street resurfacing projects are slated to begin in the spring.
- Contract renewals with Town Engineer Larry Long and Town Attorney James Walmer were tabled until the first of the year.
- Leaf cleanup is complete for the year. However, residents who still have leaves to dispose of can bag them and place them beside the curb for pickup.
- The Winona Lake Fire Department had received reimbursement for $4,425 after taking care of a chemical fire earlier this year, along with the Warsaw Fire Department. Fire Chief Mitch Titus offered to split the check with the council. However, council members voted that the department should keep the entire check to put toward equipment and other needs.
- The town has received positive comments about the holiday lighting around town, particularly along Park Avenue and at the Village at Winona. There was brief discussion about possibly adding more lighted snowflakes in coming years, including on the island.
- Paving of the new trail is not yet complete, though it has received a lot of unauthorized traffic so far. The trail does not officially open until spring. As far as safety, the council discussed installing gates at each entrance that will cause users to slow down before crossing the street.