At Tuesday, July 20’s Winona Lake Town Council meeting at Winona Lake Town Hall are from left: Council Member Jim Zachary, Town Manager Craig Allebach, Council President Rick Swaim and Council Vice President Denny Duncan. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — Another segment of Winona Lake’s Heritage Trail will be completed.

Winona Lake Town Council on Tuesday, July 20, approved a bid from Global Paving LLC of $328,936.15 to expand Heritage Trail from Lakeland Christian Academy to Raccoon Run, a stretch of 6,600 feet.

Other bidders included G&G Hauling and Excavating and Phend & Brown with bids of $689,900 and $814,498.50 respectively.

Town Manager Craig Allebach said the section should be finished by summer 2022.

Federal Funds

The council also approved paying a stipend to town employees related to their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money is coming out of CARES Act funds the town received. It’s using $28,000, which will distributed among employees.

Also the council approved the creation of a grant fund for additional money to be distributed from the federal government to the town related to the pandemic.

In other business, the council also:

• Approved a bid from Haskins Underground of $695,000 for a water main extension from Lakeland Christian Academy to Raccoon Run. Other bidders for the project included HRP Construction and G&G Hauling and Excavating with bids of $868,000 and $1,629,365.15 respectively.
• Approved revamping the police department’s standard operating procedures or SOPs.
• Heard that a drug dropbox is to be put at the fire station soon.
• Approved allowing the fire department to purchase air packs at a cost of $15,998.99.
• Heard from Town Clerk-Treasurer Kent Adams a schedule regarding approving the 2022 town budget. A public hearing for it will be at the September council meeting and adoption of it at the October one.
• Heard from Allebach that the Jazz Festival is 1-7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at Winona Lake Limitless Park. The festival’s in a slightly different location due to the ice rink being constructed. A schedule for the event may be found here.
• Heard from Allebach the town’s regular Family Festival is 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at WLLP.

The council’s next meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, at the town hall.