Pictured are Kosciusko County Commissioners Cary Groninger, Brad Jackson and Bob Conley and members of Echoes of the Past at the commissioners meeting Tuesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union.

By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WARSAW — The Kosciusko County Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding regarding the Tippecanoe-Chapman Lakes Regional Sewer District Tuesday, March 26.

Andrew Boxberger, attorney for the sewer district, said the commissioners had a MOU in front of them Tuesday.

The sewer district has been asked to do a preliminary engineering report to study sewering the east side of Webster Lake, because it has been determined there is a need in that area.

The district has submitted a preliminary engineering report to the Indiana Finance Authority State Revolving Fund to get financing to sewer the east side of Webster.

“They’re waiting to hear sometime in July or August whether or not they get financing to get an acceptable rate, and hopefully some grant funds to make that project feasible,” Boxberger said.

Currently, that area is not in the TippecanoeChapman Lakes Sewer District.

There has been oneoff property owners who said their property is right next to the sewer district and the property owner wanted to be part of the district. Indiana code allows the commissioners to apply to the sewer district to have that particular parcel accepted into the district’s territory. What the MOU does is essentially the same thing, but with a large group of homes.

“There’ll be about 200 customers … district get funding that’s acceptable to do this project at a reasonable rate and determines that’s doable, the commissioners would agree to submit the application for the sewer district to take over these roughly 200 properties into the district territory so they can do that project and serve those properties. And that’s what the memorandum is,” he said.

Boxberger said the MOU is part of the process of applying to the State Resolving Fund for funding.

The project cost is approximately $7 million and those on the east side of Webster Lake will have their water treated in North Webster.

After the commissioners approved the MOU, county attorney Ed Ormsby brought to the commissioners’ attention another MOU.
Ormsby said there is MOU regarding a lease agreement for site usage for the county radio system with the town of Sidney.

“We need to do a small amendment to that MOU that was done in 2021 for a different access point. It’s just a new 12foot access point that will give (the county) better access. The town of Sidney is in agreement with the MOU, so I would submit that to the commissioners for consideration of approval,” he said.

County Commissioner Cary Groninger said the tower is all ready erected, but with the “current shelter and some of the things that has to go in there, the current access doesn’t suit us getting all the stuff back there, so this would give us the access we would need to get that shelter in place.”

The commissioners approved the amendment.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Declared March 26, 2024, as Echoes of the Past Day and the first weekend in August be set aside for celebration of the people, equipment, of the past, to honor farming and agriculture, including the future farmers of Kosciusko County and to be recognized to a location on County Farm Road and CR 700S in Claypool “to be known as the antique tractor capital of Indiana.”

Chris Morehouse with Echoes of the Past said it started out as a small group of people trying to increase foot traffic to the county fairs in the ‘90s. The group started with 13 members in 1994 and grew to over 140 members. In 2015, Echoes of the Past became a nonprofit. In 1994, Echoes of the Past had the Antique Village at the fair where they did live demonstrations with farm animals. Now, Echoes of the Past has three community events they host themselves SummerFest, Fall Fest and Cookies with Santa. Echoes of the Past also started a scholarship this year for FFA and 4-H members.

• Approved the creation of a donation fund in the Kosciusko County Health Department’s budget. Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver said the Health Department is fortunate enough to receive cash donations from members of the community. Usually, the money is put in the general health fund “and it’s very quickly forgotten about and it’s mixed all the other monies in there.” Weaver said he would like the commissioners to create a donation fund that would exist in the Health Department’s yearly budget to place that money. That would have to be under the direction of the county auditor and approved by the auditor every year.