Pictured, from left, are Mayor Joe Thallemer and Jeff Grose.

WARSAW — During the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting held today, Sept. 21, board members agreed to waive stormwater charges for the Shadow Lakes area.

Properties in that area have not been billed for stormwater charges due to the recent annexation of Shadow Lakes in May 2018. A software malfunction caused multi-unit properties to be under-billed from January to August this year. When the base charge of $8.21 was inputted, it was only calculated per bill instead of per unit.

The board agreed not to back bill for those amounts, saying that it wouldn’t been fair to those in the area.

Three grants for the Warsaw Police Department were also approved by the board.

The 2019 DUI Task Force Grant allows officers to be paid overtime for selective patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The DUI Task Force Indiana for Kosciusko County is coordinated through the Town of Winona Lake. The total grant funding will be approximately $25,000. Warsaw Police Department’s portion will be approximately $7,000.

The 2019 Non-Motorist Grant helps address traffic safety concerns regarding pedestrians and bicyclists. Last year, the Warsaw Police Department used the funds for First Fridays, bike path patrols, and Fat and Skinny Tire Fest. The Town of Winona Lake requested grant funding of $20,0000. The Warsaw Police Department’s portion is $10,000.

The 2019 Operation Pull Over grant is an enforcement grant that pays officers overtime to enforce Indiana law for those not wearing seat belts, as well as child restraint violations. The total grant funding for the county is $48,000, with the Warsaw Police Department’s portion at approximately $12,000.

During the meeting, the board also approved the hiring of Jordan Roberts and Justin Lewis, two full-time probationary patrol officers at the Warsaw Police Department.

To conclude the meeting, Mayor Joe Thallemer discussed a recent car versus train accident that occurred Wednesday, Sept. 19. The unoccupied car was parked in a no-parking zone on Hickory Street when the collision happened.

Rail Safety Week is from Sept. 24 to 30; on Tuesday, Sept. 25, there will be extra patrol at rail crossings in town to educate people not to stop on railroad tracks during light changes.

In other business:

• The board approved the closing of Center Street, between Lake and Buffalo, for WRSW’s third annual “50 Cooks Who Care” event on Saturday, Oct. 20.
• The board approved the closing of parts of Center, Buffalo, and Market Streets for the downtown Spooktacular on Friday, Oct. 26. The roads will be closed from 3 to 9 p.m.
• The board approved three claim approvals for sewer rehabilitation projects in the amounts of $80,163; $321,406; and $125,396.
• The board approved two travel requests for Nick King and Roger Sarber.