Four city of Warsaw employees were recognized at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, Oct. 24, for their service anniversaries in October totaling 50 years. Pictured, left to right, are Shane Newsome, wastewater treatment utility, five years; Joe Renz, street department, five years; Andrew LeCount, previously of the street department and now with the wastewater treatment utility, 20 years; Lt. Andrew Callaway, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, 20 years; and Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW – Keystone Cooperative was the sole bidder for the City of Warsaw’s fuel for 2026 at a Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Friday, Oct. 24.

Before the end of the meeting, after reviewing all the paperwork, Public Works Director Dustin Dillon recommended Keystone be awarded the bid. For up to 60,000 gallons of on-road diesel fuel, Keystone’s base bid was $2.679 plus tax per gallon; for the supply and delivery to various locations of up to 20,000 gallons of off-road diesel fuel, their bid was $2.832 per gallon; and for the supply and delivery of up to 10,000 gallons of ethanol-free gasoline, Keystone’s bid was $3.462 per gallon.

In May, the Board of Works approved a bid from Lassus Brothers for the Warsaw Police Department for 85,000 gallons of 87 Octane in 2026 at a fixed price of $2.489 per gallon.

WPD Chief Scott Whitaker, filling in for Deputy Chief Bryan Sherwin, presented the board Friday with an application for taxicab permits from A & M Fastcab. He said they were a new company that wanted two permits for two vehicles for the remainder of 2025 and all of 2026. Permits are $50 per vehicle per year. Whitaker requested the board waive A & M Fastcab’s 2025 fee to help get them through the last couple months of the year. They have two taxis and two drivers. The application lists the owner’s name as Madison Prater, Warsaw. Rates/fares also are listed as $12 in town one way; $18 in town round trip; $8 senior one way; $15 in town round trip; and $9 pass prices. Madison and Tara Jo Prater are listed as the taxi drivers. The application was approved 3-0.

Earlier in Friday’s meeting, four city employees were recognized for their service anniversaries in October totaling 50 years. Shane Newsome, wastewater treatment utility, and Joe Renz, street department, each have five years with the city. Andrew LeCount, previously of the street department and now with the wastewater treatment utility, and Lt. Andrew Callaway, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, each have 20 years.

Also, the Board of Works approved:

• Dillon’s request to apply for the 2026 Community Crossings Grant through the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The grant is a 50/50 match funding for the city. He said the street department does have a project in mind that they are looking at that totals about $1.8 million. If the city receives the grant, its share of the cost would be about $900,000.

• Change order No. 1 from Phend & Brown for an increase of $122,866.37 for reconstruction of Airport Road, as requested by Dillon. He said they ran into some bad subsoils and other things that were not unexpected but couldn’t be put into the project itself. They ran into some overages and buried trash that they had to work through, including digging a little deeper and putting more stone in. “Has turned out absolutely phenomenal, if you haven’t been out to check out Airport Road,” he said. With the change order, the total contract price is $1,031,472.77. On the same project, Dillon presented payment application No. 2 from Phend & Brown Inc. for $158,055.43. This is for that reconstruction of Airport Road, and the milling and paving of Provident Drive, CR 150W, Old 30E and Zimmer Road. “If you haven’t traveled those, those are some extremely traveled roads that are now in much-greater condition,” he said. The board approved the payment.

• Dillon’s request to extend the bid from Pavement Solutions Inc. for micro surfacing and crack sealant from 2025 to 2026. He said Pavement Solutions has been the city’s sole bidder on micro surfacing and crack sealant for “many, many years.” The prices, as opened by sealed bid on Nov. 15, 2024, for 2025, will remain as $5.45 per square yard for Type II Modified Asphalt Emulsion Micro Surfacing multiple course and $1.50 per pound for Applied Fiberized Crack Sealant.

• Payment application No. 1 from G & G Hauling & Excavating for Prairie and Lake Streets’ stormwater improvements for $172,302.48, as requested by Stormwater and Wastewater Utilities Superintendent Brian Davison. The original request was for $181,371.05, but Davison said they do have a 5% retainage that they hold onto until the end of the project. “That project is nearing completion. There’s some pipelining to do, but, for the most part, everything above ground is completed,” he said. Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen said part of the project is being paid out of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, so it’s one more project she’ll get to cross off the list. Davison also presented a change order for $15,594.52 for the same Prairie and Lake Streets’ stormwater improvements projects. “There was quite a bit of utility conflict that needed to be addressed with American Water and NIPSCO. So there was some extra restoration that needed to be done outside the scope of what our original project was, and that’s what mainly this change order covers,” he stated. The board approved the change order.

• Accepting a $20,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory for the purchase of three treadmills, one at each fire station, as requested by Fire Chief Joel Shilling. The WWFT Board accepted the grant at its Oct. 7 meeting.

• For Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer to apply for a $7,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. The funding will help sustain and enhance the Summer Concert Series. “The grant would serve as a supplement to partial funding already allocated in the Parks Department fund. This is very important to help us keep those going,” she stated.

• For the WWFT to enter into an interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County for terminal services data for $1,575. The WWFT Board approved Shilling’s request at their Oct. 7 meeting, and the county commissioners approved the agreement Tuesday.

• The new hire/change in payroll report as presented by Human Resource Director Denny Harlan. It included the promotion of Nicholas Rausch at the wastewater treatment utility to maintenance supervisor, whose hourly salary will be $28.34; and the promotion of Mason Metzinger at the Warsaw Police Department to sergeant, with a biweekly salary of $2,992.96. A take-home vehicle request for Rausch also was approved by the board so he can be on-call. Rausch will be in the vehicle that Davison was driving, and Davison will be driving a new vehicle. Harlan also presented two travel requests to conferences, both of which were approved.