WARSAW — A bid was awarded to remove a small dam along the Tippecanoe River near Fox Farm Road during the Warsaw Board of Works and Safety meeting held on Friday, March 17.

City Engineer James Emans presented the information to the board. He explained that the dam was originally built in the 1960s and currently serves no purpose. The dam not only restricts fish travel but is also seen as a liability risk.

“By removing this dam we remove a hazard and open up over 200 miles to fish that they can’t get through to now,” explained Emans.

The removal will be completely funded through grants. US Fish & Wildlife originally approached the city about removing the dam. After being approached, the city considered the removal and applied for two large grants through the US Fish & Wildlife and Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The removal is expected to take place in August and September of this year. Emans explained that it shouldn’t take very long to remove it. The longest part of the project will be spent obtaining the proper permits.

The board approved awarding the project to Flatland Resources for the amount of $61,478.80.

The City of Warsaw and Kosciusko County were approved to enter an interlocal agreement for shared equipment. Kosciusko County owns a street sweeper and a paver that the City of Warsaw sometimes use. The City of Warsaw owns a Sewer Vac that Kosciusko County sometimes uses. By entering the interlocal agreement, the two will be equally responsible for maintenance of the equipment.

The agreement will save both parties money by allowing them to share resources and not each have to purchase the same equipment. The agreement was effective immediately upon approval and will remain in place until one of the parties choses to be removed from the agreement.

In other news:

• The Parks and Recreation Board presented six contracts for the Summer Concert Series. All contracts were approved.
• The board approved a contract with the Warsaw-Wayne Fire and Warsaw Police Department for generator equipment maintenance with Cummins Crosspoint LLC.
• A master agreement for the city was approved with Wildman Uniform & Linen. Previously each department had individual contracts. This new agreement just combines all departments into one large agreement.
• The Wastewater Department was approved for an agreement with D&D Electric for preventative maintenance and an agreement with Wessler Engineering for any on-call engineering needs.
• The board approved three motions for the planning department. A pay application was approved for the Market Street project. An amendment was approved for the Buffalo Street project contract with American Structurepoint. A lease agreement was approved with Pitney Bowes for a mailing system.