Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner, left, explains the agreement with NIPSCO to Warsaw Redevelopment Commission members. Shown from left are Skinner, George Clemens, president; Mike Klondaris, vice president; Jack Wilhite, city councilman; and Joe Thallemer, former mayor. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Warsaw Redevelopment Commission formally approved an agreement Monday with Northern Indiana Public Service Co. for NIPSCO to relocate gas service lines for the Millworks project.

Millworks is the market-rate apartments and limited commercial use project at the location of the former Owens grocery store at the intersection of Market and Columbia streets.

The cost of the gas services extension is $44,908.48.

Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner said, “Right now there’s a gas line that runs down the middle of the old Owens property that needs to be moved in order for the development to be built, so in order to do that, there’s some additional gas lines that need to be ran and the cost to do that was … $44,908.48.”

The agreement was already emergently approved to keep the project going, so the board’s approval Monday was to approve it formally.

Board member Joe Thallemer asked if there was any “rhyme or reason” for the dollar amount.

Skinner said it was based on service. “So they did a service estimate because most of the building is not going to have gas, it’s going to be electric. But there is commercial space that could potentially have a restaurant and have gas service in it,” he said.
Skinner said the price, for the most part, is pretty fair for the city considering NIPSCO will be redoing a lot of the downtown gas lines.

“It’ll work out nicely,” he said.

Thallemer, asked, “So it’s kind of based on future access?” Skinner said yes.

The board also approved a bid from Steve’s Hauling, Excavating & Snow Removal LLC to demolish the single-family home at 330 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw. It was the lowest of three bids at $10,900.

The other two bids were $16,000 from Everest Excavating LLC and $24,341 from SAR Excavating.

Also, Skinner presented the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission 2024 Financial Report to the board for their review. It will be presented at a public hearing at the commission’s April 1 meeting. No action was taken by the board on the report Monday. The report is mandated by the state annually.

March claims presented to and approved by the commission included: $143.01, NIPSCO; $113.60, NIPSCO; $170, Times-Union; $3,325, HRP; $111,293.45, HRP; $2,262.50, Baker Tilly; $850, DLZ Engineering; $2,500, Verne V. Mitchell & Associates Inc.; $42,000, West Hill Development; $120, Skinner; $477.88, Indiana American Water; $42.88, Times-Union; and $300, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation.