Pictured, from left, Taylor Fiedeke, Vanessa Wright, Jed Wandland, Joe Kelsheimer and Micah Rassi.

KOSCIUSKO —  Ken Jones Sr., CEO of Jones Petrie Rafinski, Elkhart, attended the Kosciusko Commissioners meeting held Tuesday, July 10, to discuss the Tippy/Chapman regional sewer district boundaries. Jones advised that two changes have been made: Oswego has been included and Hawthorne Addition has been removed. 

“There will be opportunities to make further revisions,” Jones told commissioners. 

Hawthorne Addition resident Carl Sowers spoke at the meeting, stating, “I just want to thank you guys for taking all of our phone calls and listening to us. We appreciate that. I’m sure you guys are concerned about the county, and we appreciate that.”

Two homeowners from CR 450N spoke against the sewer district, with one homeowner stating that she and her husband are contemplating moving due to implementation of the sewer district. 

A motion to approve the boundaries as presented was made and approved. Kosciusko Commissioner Vice-President Cary Groninger advised that a map showing the boundaries will be posted on the county website. 

County Attorney Chad Miner stated that interest has been expressed by a property owner in purchasing a parcel of land on Palestine Lake that is owned by the county. Miner described the land as a swampy area. Miner requested permission to begin the process of obtaining appraisals and preparing to set the parcel up for auction. This was approved. 

Commissioners were able to enjoy a presentation by students from Wawasee High School robotics teams. Jed Wandland, who teaches physics and robotics at Wawasee High School, and four students attended today’s commissioner meeting. Wawasee High School has ten individual robotics teams. Team 574C finished third in the world in the robot skills challenge at the world championships in Louisville, Ky. 

“It’s an opportunity for students to experience building and designing solutions to problems that often have applications in real life, so it’s a valuable learning experience,” said Wawasee High School Senior Micah Rassi.

Yellow cones were placed on the floor, with the goal being for the robot to pick up and place the cones in a stack.

According to Rassi, the team spent roughly nine months on the design of the robot used during today’s demonstration. 

County Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden requested permission to apply for a grant through the rail office of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Tilden stated the grant is 100 percent reimbursable.

“It’s to put thermoplastic pavement markings down at the advance warning signs painted on the road. Altogether it would be applied at 59 locations,” said Tilden, whose request was approved.

Commissioners approved two requests presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. The first was a proposal for Masonry Solutions to damp-proof the county justice building by sealing the limestone. The second was a letter from the Department of Transportation requesting that Scott Tlden be appointed the administrator under I-TAP. 

A new county website was revealed, featuring new functionality. The data on the kc.gov site has been reorganized, making it easier for users to obtain the information they need. To help keep the website fresh, drone clips will be season-based and will be changed for each season. 

The next regular meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 24. 

Pictured, from left, Commissioner Brad Jackson, Vice-President Cary Groninger and President Bob Conley look over a map showing the proposed boundaries of the regional sewer district.