Winona Lake town attorney Adam Turner (L) gives the ceremonial oath of office to Austin Reynolds, Winona Lake Town Council District 1. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WINONA LAKE – An honorary Winona Lake police officer, a reserve officer and the Town Council’s newest member were sworn in Tuesday night after Town Manager Craig Allebach paid tribute to Warsaw Police Capt. Clay Layne.

Layne died early Tuesday morning after suffering a medical emergency at his home Oct. 11. 

Allebach began the Council’s meeting Tuesday by talking about Layne’s passing. He said many Winona officers and Winona Town Marshal Joe Hawn knew Layne, with Hawn having worked with Layne at Warsaw before joining Winona Lake Police Department. Allebach said he hired Layne in 1995 to WPD when he was police chief. 

“Just a great guy,” Allebach said, before reading the statement released by WPD on Layne’s death Tuesday. “I know, on behalf of the town of Winona Lake and the Winona Lake Police Department, we are really saddened. He was just a great guy. A great guy, so we’ll miss him.” 

A moment of silence for Layne followed.

Austin Reynolds already was officially sworn in as the Council’s newest member for District 1, but town attorney Adam Turner ceremoniously swore him in Tuesday. Reynolds was chosen by a Republican caucus to serve the remainder of Jim Zachary’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 2023. Zachary died Aug. 17 at the age of 39.

Reynolds’ parents and two grandmothers attended the meeting to support him. 

Winona Lake police officer Joe Bumbaugh then presented honorary Winona officer Israel Gagnon, a Jefferson Elementary School student. Turner swore Gagnon in as “an official officer of the Winona Lake Police Department.”

In his oath of office, Gagnon promised to always be on his best behavior, to do his best to set a good example for his fellow classmates at Jefferson and to always keep safety in mind, reminding those around him to always act safely. 

Bumbaugh then “officially” put the badge on Gagnon. 

The last oath of office Turner gave was to WLPD reserve officer Dan Clemens. 

Hawn said Clemens currently resides in Claypool with his wife and four children, working full-time at Wildman Business Group as a mechanic. He said Clemens has been a reserve officer with Claypool Police Department and had been a reserve officer with Winona for several years. Hawn requested the Town Council approve hiring Clemens as a reserve office.

The Council approved the resolution appointing Clemens as a reserve officer.

In other business, the Council:

• Adopted the 2022 budget. The proposed 2022 budget totals $5,459,722, an increase of $429,870 over the 2021 budget of $5,029,852. 

• Had a public hearing on and approved an ordinance for the vacation of a portion of an alley, as requested by attorney Steve Helm, representing Victoria Rogers. The alley is north of Hamilton Street and southwest of Cherry Street. There were no remonstrators against the vacation. 

• Approved an easement agreement with the city of Warsaw – after Turner reviews and approves it – for an easement for Warsaw’s McKinley storm line project. A copy of the agreement was not provided to Allebach by the time of the Town Council meeting. The project includes the relocation of a storm drain down McKinley to just before Argonne Road. The city wants to finish the nearly $700,000 project by the end of 2021 before Winona Lake begins its roundabout project at the intersection of Argonne Road, Winona Avenue, Kings Highway and Park Avenue. 

• Approved a construction engineering agreement for the roundabout project with A & Z Engineering. Allebach said bid letting is set for Jan. 12, with construction of the roundabout hopefully beginning in the spring. Eighty percent of the project will be paid for by an Indiana Department of Transportation grant. 

• Heard Winona Happenings include Fire Department Bingo, a fundraiser for the Fire Department, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 at the Knights of Columbus, 414 S. Sycamore St., Syracuse, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.; FunFest, at the Gordon Health and Wellness Center, Oct. 29, 6 to 8 p.m.; and trick-or-treating, Oct. 30, 5:30 to 8 p.m. 

Parks Department Director Holly Hummitch later said KringleFest is scheduled for Dec. 4 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and will be back-to-back with The Village tree lighting. More information will be released later.