Jason Brown, owner of One Ten Craft Meatery, attended the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting to request a road closure for a Saint Patrick’s Day/March Madness event. Photo by Caleigh Byrer.

By Caleigh Byrer
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved a road closure request for a Saint Patrick’s Day and March Madness event downtown at its Friday, March 3, meeting.

Jason Brown, owner of One Ten Craft Meatery, requested permission to close Buffalo Street between Center and Main Streets for the duration of the event as they have done in previous years, which was approved. The event is set to begin at noon Friday, March 17.

Brown said this is the sixth year they have attempted the event, with two years canceled because of weather. Each year they have successfully held the event, the more people have attended.

To accommodate a larger crowd, this year they will be taking up more of the street and have partnered with many local businesses such as: Winona IT, 1Eighty Digital, First Federal Bank, KEDCO, Maple Leaf Farms, Orthopediatrics, Silveus Insurance, The Lab and more.

Some of the businesses that will be serving food and beverages are Courthouse Coffee, Mad Anthony’s, HopLore Brewing Co., Ledgeview Brewing Company, The Diner and One Ten Craft Meatery.

Brown also said they have partnered with a company to supply a large television so they will be airing all of the March Madness games. Since the event is intended for all ages, they will also have things to entertain the younger crowd such as jumbo Jenga.

In other business, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory EMS Chief Chris Fancil provided an update on the department’s plan for using the opioid settlement match grant and requested permission to proceed with a contract from 1Eighty Digital.

Fancil said WWFT and Warsaw Police Department were planning to use the grant for the C.A.R.E.S. program, a new employee to focus on substance usage, new equipment, extending coverage time and reach, education and things of that nature.

“I think the C.A.R.E.S. program started out as a mental health initiative and we quickly learned that you can’t really separate the mental health issues from the addiction issues. … This is a great opportunity to expand the services that we can provide,” said Mayor Joe Thallemer.

The contract with 1Eighty Digital for the development and maintenance of their proposed resource management listing website would cost the department $300 upfront and $50 per month for hosting, which was approved.

The board also approved:

• A quote on a 2023 Ford F350 XL 4×4 supercab for the city’s wastewater department at $63,360.25.
• A road closure between Main Street and the alleyway from 4-9 p.m. for a Vietnam Veterans Day tribute event on April 21.
• A road closure of Center Street from Lake Street to Indiana Street, Main Street to Market Street and Buffalo Street from Main Street to Market Street for the City of Lakes Car Show beginning around 7 a.m. on May 21.
• A road closure on Center Street and Buffalo Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8 for Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church‘s second Easter egg hunt on the courthouse lawn.
• Two pay applications for the Anchorage Road project in the amounts of $1,230 and $3,974.85.
• A three-year service agreement with Wildman that included a 3% price increase both the second and third years.