Among those at the Winona Lake Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, from left: Town Council Member Austin Reynolds, Town Manager Craig Allebach, Town Council President Rick Swaim and Town Council Member Jim Lancaster. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — The process of constructing Winona Lake’s next roundabout has been delayed.

Town Manager Craig Allebach told the Winona Lake Town Council on Tuesday, Jan. 18, that the project to construct a roundabout at Argonne Road, Winona Avenue, Kings Highway and Park Avenue is being rebid.

Bids were just let out last week, and only one bid came in, said Allebach.

Exactly how much the bid was is unknown, according to Allebach. He said the Indiana Department of Transportation did not want to release the figure for fear it would influence future bids.

“The bid was really high,” he said. “The bid was high by at least a million dollars … They only give us kind of a range that it’s high and there was only one bid. And so the process when that happens is they rebid that.”

INDOT is handling the bidding process as it is administering a grant that the town received for the project. The grant is an 80/20 one with the town needing to provide a 20% match. Winona Lake was awarded the $847,320 grant back in 2016.

“I’ve got a meeting later this week kind of with the contractors and engineers looking over that just to see if there’s anything that we can (do to) cut costs, but I think a lot of it is just you know the time,” said Allebach. “When we were originally awarded that money, it was 2016. Here we are in 2022, we’re getting ready to go to construction.”

“We’re going to have to go back and be bid out I’m hoping in the next month or so,” said Allebach. “That’s going to maybe put it back a month or so.”

In response to a question from Town Council President Rick Swaim, Allebach said he estimates now the project will be finished at the end of 2022.

In other business, the board:

• Appointed Ashley McGinnis to the Winona Lake Park Board. She replaces Oxana Mullins who opted to step down.
• Welcomed new Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Laurie Renier. She was chosen in a GOP caucus on Monday, Jan. 17, to replace Kent Adams who passed away in December.
• Reorganized for 2022, opting to keep Swaim as its president and Denny Duncan as vice president.
• Approved its regular agreement with Wayne Township related to the Winona Lake Parks Department. That is providing $20,000 for parks’ department’s programming.
• Approved the purchase of two sets of bunker gear and 20 protective hoods for the Winona Lake Fire Department.
• Heard from Winona Lake Police Chief Joe Hawn that the police department will put out speed signs around town to check for speeding. To request that a speed board be put on a certain street or in a certain neighborhood, residents should contact the department.

The board’s next meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the town hall.