Board of Public Works and Safety Archives - News Now Warsaw https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/tag/board-of-public-works-and-safety/ Sun, 22 Jun 2025 11:58:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 City seeks to help Language Matters translation service expand https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/city-seeks-to-help-language-matters-translation-service-expand/ Sun, 22 Jun 2025 11:55:56 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=113561  

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW —  The Language Matters call center has been so successful in the city of Warsaw that it’s looking to expand out into the county and other towns.

At Friday’s Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Mayor Jeff Grose requested permission to apply for a $42,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to expand the Call Center’s boundaries.

In the second paragraph of Grose’s letter to the Board of Works, which he read, he states, “The city of Warsaw’s call center has served many residents with not only translation and interpretation, but also navigation within the community. Through the growth of the Language Call Center, it has become clear that residents beyond the city of Warsaw have similar navigation needs or needs that cross multiple jurisdictional boundaries. This is one more way to further support my priorities of strengthening intergovernmental relations, earning citizen trust and engagement, and promoting good government communitywide.”

If the grant is awarded, Grose said the project would include introducing other Kosciusko County towns and government entities to the call center.

“Here is what Language Matters can do: It will train those entities to utilize the Call Center, if there’s interest, and educate non-English-speaking community members about the expanded availability of navigation services throughout our entire community, not just Warsaw, but those in Warsaw that leave our jurisdiction; those outside our jurisdiction who come in,” Grose said.

He said it is a grant request, and the grant application has to go through a public entity like the city. Grose said he encouraged Language Matters co-founder and CEO Lucas Fonseca to move forward and supports Fonseca’s efforts to get those grant dollars.

The Board approved the grant application 3-0.

Public Works Department Superintendent Dustin Dillon presented the board with a $121,635.63 pay application from Michiana Contracting for the ongoing traffic signal modernization work at the intersection of Lake and Main streets, completed thus far. The project was approved on Nov. 15 by the Board.

“The project seems to be on the time schedule allotted and moving along very quickly,” Dillon said.

Councilwoman Diane Quance asked when the project will be completed.

Dillon said that according to the schedule Michiana Contracting gave, it’s on the path to be completed by July 10. The poles were delivered last week and they’re moving along, he said.

Quance said she’s received questions from people about when they can use that portion of the sidewalk again.

The pay application was approved 3-0.

The post City seeks to help Language Matters translation service expand appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]>  

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW —  The Language Matters call center has been so successful in the city of Warsaw that it’s looking to expand out into the county and other towns.

At Friday’s Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Mayor Jeff Grose requested permission to apply for a $42,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to expand the Call Center’s boundaries.

In the second paragraph of Grose’s letter to the Board of Works, which he read, he states, “The city of Warsaw’s call center has served many residents with not only translation and interpretation, but also navigation within the community. Through the growth of the Language Call Center, it has become clear that residents beyond the city of Warsaw have similar navigation needs or needs that cross multiple jurisdictional boundaries. This is one more way to further support my priorities of strengthening intergovernmental relations, earning citizen trust and engagement, and promoting good government communitywide.”

If the grant is awarded, Grose said the project would include introducing other Kosciusko County towns and government entities to the call center.

“Here is what Language Matters can do: It will train those entities to utilize the Call Center, if there’s interest, and educate non-English-speaking community members about the expanded availability of navigation services throughout our entire community, not just Warsaw, but those in Warsaw that leave our jurisdiction; those outside our jurisdiction who come in,” Grose said.

He said it is a grant request, and the grant application has to go through a public entity like the city. Grose said he encouraged Language Matters co-founder and CEO Lucas Fonseca to move forward and supports Fonseca’s efforts to get those grant dollars.

The Board approved the grant application 3-0.

Public Works Department Superintendent Dustin Dillon presented the board with a $121,635.63 pay application from Michiana Contracting for the ongoing traffic signal modernization work at the intersection of Lake and Main streets, completed thus far. The project was approved on Nov. 15 by the Board.

“The project seems to be on the time schedule allotted and moving along very quickly,” Dillon said.

Councilwoman Diane Quance asked when the project will be completed.

Dillon said that according to the schedule Michiana Contracting gave, it’s on the path to be completed by July 10. The poles were delivered last week and they’re moving along, he said.

Quance said she’s received questions from people about when they can use that portion of the sidewalk again.

The pay application was approved 3-0.

The post City seeks to help Language Matters translation service expand appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/city-hall-door-Edited-1-1.png Lease agreement for Gatke project moving forward https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/lease-agreement-for-gatke-project-moving-forward/ Sat, 06 Jan 2024 13:43:50 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=87878 By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — A resolution involving the former Gatke property and a future mixed-use development lease, which already went through the Redevelopment Commission and Common Council, was approved by the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday.

It’ll go back before the Redevelopment Commission for a public hearing and final approval of the lease on Monday, and there will be an Economic Development Commission meeting on it next week.

The Board of Works is the entity that controls all the property owned by the city more or less, Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner said,

“Since we are leasing some of that right-of-way, this resolution more or less needs the Board of Works’ approval to lease that said right-of-way, i.e. Market Street in this case,” he said. “So this resolution is just you saying, ‘Yes, we give permission to lease that Market Street right-of-way as part of the Gatke bond issue.’”

The bond issue is not to exceed $3 million, but Skinner said it probably will be around $2.4 million.

Councilwoman Diane Quance, a member of the board of works, asked what was meant by leasing a right-of-way.

“So you have to have something tangible as a mechanism to lease,” Skinner said. “You have to have that right-of-way, i.e. Market Street in this case. Kind of like what we did with the airport. We leased all the roads out at the airport as part of that bond issue, so that when you go to market, you have a tangible item that they are basically putting money up for. In theory, you can’t really sell Market Street, right? But, in terms of legalese, this is how it works.”

The Gatke mixed-use development project includes at least 74 residential units and some commercial space. To be called RW Lofts, the estimated cost of the project is about $20 million, with the city’s share being the bond issue, the state providing $4 million in tax credits and the developer — Rebar Development — providing the remainder by cash and loan.

Bond financing is expected to occur by March, with the project slated to start sometime this year.

In other business, the board approved:

• Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory’s request to enter into an agreement for financing the new 100-foot rear-mount aerial platform ladder truck for $1,812,636.

• A three-year lease agreement with OrthoWorx for space on the third floor of City Hall.
The first year of the lease is for $2,250 per month; second year, $2,317.50 per month; and the third year is $2,387 per month.

The post Lease agreement for Gatke project moving forward appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — A resolution involving the former Gatke property and a future mixed-use development lease, which already went through the Redevelopment Commission and Common Council, was approved by the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday.

It’ll go back before the Redevelopment Commission for a public hearing and final approval of the lease on Monday, and there will be an Economic Development Commission meeting on it next week.

The Board of Works is the entity that controls all the property owned by the city more or less, Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner said,

“Since we are leasing some of that right-of-way, this resolution more or less needs the Board of Works’ approval to lease that said right-of-way, i.e. Market Street in this case,” he said. “So this resolution is just you saying, ‘Yes, we give permission to lease that Market Street right-of-way as part of the Gatke bond issue.’”

The bond issue is not to exceed $3 million, but Skinner said it probably will be around $2.4 million.

Councilwoman Diane Quance, a member of the board of works, asked what was meant by leasing a right-of-way.

“So you have to have something tangible as a mechanism to lease,” Skinner said. “You have to have that right-of-way, i.e. Market Street in this case. Kind of like what we did with the airport. We leased all the roads out at the airport as part of that bond issue, so that when you go to market, you have a tangible item that they are basically putting money up for. In theory, you can’t really sell Market Street, right? But, in terms of legalese, this is how it works.”

The Gatke mixed-use development project includes at least 74 residential units and some commercial space. To be called RW Lofts, the estimated cost of the project is about $20 million, with the city’s share being the bond issue, the state providing $4 million in tax credits and the developer — Rebar Development — providing the remainder by cash and loan.

Bond financing is expected to occur by March, with the project slated to start sometime this year.

In other business, the board approved:

• Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory’s request to enter into an agreement for financing the new 100-foot rear-mount aerial platform ladder truck for $1,812,636.

• A three-year lease agreement with OrthoWorx for space on the third floor of City Hall.
The first year of the lease is for $2,250 per month; second year, $2,317.50 per month; and the third year is $2,387 per month.

The post Lease agreement for Gatke project moving forward appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-06-084042.png Different benches on Recreational Trail will cut overall project cost by $103,417 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/different-benches-on-recreational-trail-will-cut-overall-project-cost-by-103417/ Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:26:27 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=85962 By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — A change order from R. Yoder Construction Inc. on the Center Lake Recreational Trail project will reduce the overall cost of the total contract by $103,417 to $876,835.

The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the change order Friday on a recommendation by City Engineer Aaron Ott.

Ott explained, “These are some items that had come up over the course of the project that we collectively let them gather to bring them up together in one change order rather than several change orders.”

The majority of the money being credited to the city is for the Crosswise benches that were in the bid. “Those were an excessive item, we felt, and we were able to get benches for a much better price than the $113,610 bid for 14 benches,” Ott said.

Board member George Clemens asked what kind of benches were those.

“They were special. They were made overseas. We wanted to match the Buffalo Plaza project, and so there must have been a change in the bench manufacturer or something from when that project was done to this one, so we were unaware and when we specified the specific item, it had a little price shock on it,” Ott said.

The change order also includes two additions. One is a custom bench to be used as a pump enclosure at an increase of $3,810 and the other is for additional concrete removal and replacement of a pavilion patio for an increase of $6,789.

Ott said all the changes were negotiated with the contractor.

The Sasso family donated $1 million toward the Center Lake Recreational Trail project.

In another matter, one bid was received and opened Friday for Warsaw’s recycling services at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

The proposal from Borden, the city’s current recycling provider, was a five-year contract with an increase in the price each year. Mayor Joe Thallemer read the prices, which are $3.93 per household per month for year one (2024); $4.06, year two; $4.21, year three; $4.35, year four; and $4.50, year five.

This year’s rate is $3.85 per household per month, according to Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon.

Borden offered an alternate bid for a seven-year contract but Thallemer didn’t go through those numbers.

After Dillon and Ott reviewed the bid during the meeting, Dillon made a recommendation to go ahead and award the recycling five-year contract to Borden. Ott concurred.

While the board approved awarding the contract to Borden, the actual contract will be approved at a future board meeting.

The post Different benches on Recreational Trail will cut overall project cost by $103,417 appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — A change order from R. Yoder Construction Inc. on the Center Lake Recreational Trail project will reduce the overall cost of the total contract by $103,417 to $876,835.

The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the change order Friday on a recommendation by City Engineer Aaron Ott.

Ott explained, “These are some items that had come up over the course of the project that we collectively let them gather to bring them up together in one change order rather than several change orders.”

The majority of the money being credited to the city is for the Crosswise benches that were in the bid. “Those were an excessive item, we felt, and we were able to get benches for a much better price than the $113,610 bid for 14 benches,” Ott said.

Board member George Clemens asked what kind of benches were those.

“They were special. They were made overseas. We wanted to match the Buffalo Plaza project, and so there must have been a change in the bench manufacturer or something from when that project was done to this one, so we were unaware and when we specified the specific item, it had a little price shock on it,” Ott said.

The change order also includes two additions. One is a custom bench to be used as a pump enclosure at an increase of $3,810 and the other is for additional concrete removal and replacement of a pavilion patio for an increase of $6,789.

Ott said all the changes were negotiated with the contractor.

The Sasso family donated $1 million toward the Center Lake Recreational Trail project.

In another matter, one bid was received and opened Friday for Warsaw’s recycling services at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

The proposal from Borden, the city’s current recycling provider, was a five-year contract with an increase in the price each year. Mayor Joe Thallemer read the prices, which are $3.93 per household per month for year one (2024); $4.06, year two; $4.21, year three; $4.35, year four; and $4.50, year five.

This year’s rate is $3.85 per household per month, according to Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon.

Borden offered an alternate bid for a seven-year contract but Thallemer didn’t go through those numbers.

After Dillon and Ott reviewed the bid during the meeting, Dillon made a recommendation to go ahead and award the recycling five-year contract to Borden. Ott concurred.

While the board approved awarding the contract to Borden, the actual contract will be approved at a future board meeting.

The post Different benches on Recreational Trail will cut overall project cost by $103,417 appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-111219.png Warsaw treatment plant workers find and return lost wedding ring https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/warsaw-treatment-plant-workers-find-and-return-lost-wedding-ring/ Sun, 18 Jun 2023 13:15:55 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=79807 By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW --  Thanks to some employees with the city of Warsaw, a woman was reunited with her wedding ring this week after losing it down the toilet.


Wastewater Treatment Utility Manager Brian Davison said a woman emailed him after she had accidentally flushed her wedding ring down the toilet at work.

“We went out with our cameras and ran the camera up the sewer and we found the wedding ring up where they have a flow meter in the sewer line. We were able to recover the wedding ring for her and get it back to her,” he said after Friday's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

On Tuesday, workers opened up all the nearby manhole lids but didn’t see it. Then on Wednesday, they went out with a camera crew and within an hour found it.

Davison said he received a text during Wednesday’s department head meeting that the crew had found the ring and returned it to her.

Board of Works member George Clemens commented, “That’s very awesome that Wastewater took the time to go out there and make this lady’s day, save her precious wedding ring.”

The post Warsaw treatment plant workers find and return lost wedding ring appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW —  Thanks to some employees with the city of Warsaw, a woman was reunited with her wedding ring this week after losing it down the toilet.


Wastewater Treatment Utility Manager Brian Davison said a woman emailed him after she had accidentally flushed her wedding ring down the toilet at work.

“We went out with our cameras and ran the camera up the sewer and we found the wedding ring up where they have a flow meter in the sewer line. We were able to recover the wedding ring for her and get it back to her,” he said after Friday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

On Tuesday, workers opened up all the nearby manhole lids but didn’t see it. Then on Wednesday, they went out with a camera crew and within an hour found it.

Davison said he received a text during Wednesday’s department head meeting that the crew had found the ring and returned it to her.

Board of Works member George Clemens commented, “That’s very awesome that Wastewater took the time to go out there and make this lady’s day, save her precious wedding ring.”

The post Warsaw treatment plant workers find and return lost wedding ring appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/city-hall-door-Edited-1.png Bids opened for Center Lake Recreation Trail https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/bids-opened-for-center-lake-recreation-trail/ Sat, 06 May 2023 11:28:51 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=78320
By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW -- Two sealed bids opened Friday for the Center Lake Recreational Trail had base bids slightly under $1 million each, but the four alternate bids could put the project over that if all the alternates are accepted.

After the bids were opened during the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, the board tabled the bids until the May 19 meeting at the request of city engineer Aaron Ott. He said they want to evaluate the bids to determine if they were complete and if there is an awardable bid.

“These were a little bit more complex than just a base bid with all the alternates,” Ott said.

The first bid was from G & G Hauling & Excavating, Warsaw, whose base bid was $993,660.94. The alternate 1 bid was $103,065.30; alternate 2 bid, $162,359.76; alternate 3 bid, $555,283.35; and the mandatory alternate 4 bid was $338,915.57.

R. Yoder Construction, Nappanee, provided a base bid of $899,660. The alternate 1 bid was $75,210; alternate 2, $133,170; alternate 3, $564,524; and alternate 4, $429,736.50.

In June 2022, it was announced that the Sasso family would donate $1 million toward making the Center Lake Recreational Trail a reality.

City Planner Justin Taylor said the Recreational Trail “is a major step in enhancing the lakefront. It involves a trail that goes along the lakefront, much like Winona Lake, but it’s more curve than linear. It meanders along the lake and enhances the beach so it’s more walkable.”

He said it also will provide ADA access to the north side of the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion so it will make the whole area nicer.

The trail will be multimodal and wider than a sidewalk at about 10 feet wide. If someone wanted to ride their bike along the trail, the extra width will allow them to do that without being the trail being congested.

The trail will start at the Buffalo Street Plaza, wrap around the southeast side of the lake and go to where the boat launch is near SR 15.

“There is an opportunity for us to add nodes. None are in the plan set that were bid, but we could, in the future, add some sculptural elements or art along the way. But, mainly it’s the trail aspect of it,” Taylor said.

The alternate bids opened Friday involve some piers.

“So we’re looking to put some fishing and docking piers, so one would be on the south side and one would be up by the existing boat launch. People that wanted to fish or interact with the lake could do it off those piers,” he said.

The long-term plan for Center Lake beach includes the removal of the old pier near the pavilion. Taylor said they will have to look at how feasible that would be as removing it will be costly and there are environmental issues to consider.

“The existing pier does have some environmental concerns with E.coli and different things, so we’re trying to mitigate that and remove it. But the removal process of the pier could also cause environmental issues so we have to be very cognizant of that and remove it in a way that’s considering those things,” Taylor said.

Ott did not reveal the engineer’s estimate for the trail project but did say the bids were higher than the engineer’s estimate.

Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner presented a $10,022.32 pay application for ongoing engineering from Structurepoint for the Anchorage Road project to the Board of Works. It is an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) project. The money will come out of the Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT), but 80% will be reimbursed by INDOT.

The Board of Works approved the pay application.

The project includes redoing and widening Anchorage Road to three roads so there will be a center lane for turning, as well as putting in sidewalks, Skinner said after the meeting.

He said they’re hoping to get the project started in 2024, but INDOT works on the federal funding cycle - from July to July - whereas the city goes from January to December.

“So, it might be bid out next year, but I don’t know. We’re hoping we can get on earlier bidder. We’re going to have the project ready to be bid by the end of this year so that it can be bid early next year. It could be bid late next year. But, depending on when INDOT allows us to go to bid, it could be a 2024 construction, it could start in 2024. It’ll probably be 18 months from start to finish, so even if it starts next year, it’ll going into 2025, or it could be a 2025 construction,” Skinner said.

In other business, the board approved an agreement with Hawk Enterprises Inc. for an amount not to exceed $295,560 for the construction of the downtown street lights replacement. Bids were opened April 6 and the board awarded the project to Hawk on April 21.

 

The post Bids opened for Center Lake Recreation Trail appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]>
By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Two sealed bids opened Friday for the Center Lake Recreational Trail had base bids slightly under $1 million each, but the four alternate bids could put the project over that if all the alternates are accepted.

After the bids were opened during the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, the board tabled the bids until the May 19 meeting at the request of city engineer Aaron Ott. He said they want to evaluate the bids to determine if they were complete and if there is an awardable bid.

“These were a little bit more complex than just a base bid with all the alternates,” Ott said.

The first bid was from G & G Hauling & Excavating, Warsaw, whose base bid was $993,660.94. The alternate 1 bid was $103,065.30; alternate 2 bid, $162,359.76; alternate 3 bid, $555,283.35; and the mandatory alternate 4 bid was $338,915.57.

R. Yoder Construction, Nappanee, provided a base bid of $899,660. The alternate 1 bid was $75,210; alternate 2, $133,170; alternate 3, $564,524; and alternate 4, $429,736.50.

In June 2022, it was announced that the Sasso family would donate $1 million toward making the Center Lake Recreational Trail a reality.

City Planner Justin Taylor said the Recreational Trail “is a major step in enhancing the lakefront. It involves a trail that goes along the lakefront, much like Winona Lake, but it’s more curve than linear. It meanders along the lake and enhances the beach so it’s more walkable.”

He said it also will provide ADA access to the north side of the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion so it will make the whole area nicer.

The trail will be multimodal and wider than a sidewalk at about 10 feet wide. If someone wanted to ride their bike along the trail, the extra width will allow them to do that without being the trail being congested.

The trail will start at the Buffalo Street Plaza, wrap around the southeast side of the lake and go to where the boat launch is near SR 15.

“There is an opportunity for us to add nodes. None are in the plan set that were bid, but we could, in the future, add some sculptural elements or art along the way. But, mainly it’s the trail aspect of it,” Taylor said.

The alternate bids opened Friday involve some piers.

“So we’re looking to put some fishing and docking piers, so one would be on the south side and one would be up by the existing boat launch. People that wanted to fish or interact with the lake could do it off those piers,” he said.

The long-term plan for Center Lake beach includes the removal of the old pier near the pavilion. Taylor said they will have to look at how feasible that would be as removing it will be costly and there are environmental issues to consider.

“The existing pier does have some environmental concerns with E.coli and different things, so we’re trying to mitigate that and remove it. But the removal process of the pier could also cause environmental issues so we have to be very cognizant of that and remove it in a way that’s considering those things,” Taylor said.

Ott did not reveal the engineer’s estimate for the trail project but did say the bids were higher than the engineer’s estimate.

Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner presented a $10,022.32 pay application for ongoing engineering from Structurepoint for the Anchorage Road project to the Board of Works. It is an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) project. The money will come out of the Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT), but 80% will be reimbursed by INDOT.

The Board of Works approved the pay application.

The project includes redoing and widening Anchorage Road to three roads so there will be a center lane for turning, as well as putting in sidewalks, Skinner said after the meeting.

He said they’re hoping to get the project started in 2024, but INDOT works on the federal funding cycle – from July to July – whereas the city goes from January to December.

“So, it might be bid out next year, but I don’t know. We’re hoping we can get on earlier bidder. We’re going to have the project ready to be bid by the end of this year so that it can be bid early next year. It could be bid late next year. But, depending on when INDOT allows us to go to bid, it could be a 2024 construction, it could start in 2024. It’ll probably be 18 months from start to finish, so even if it starts next year, it’ll going into 2025, or it could be a 2025 construction,” Skinner said.

In other business, the board approved an agreement with Hawk Enterprises Inc. for an amount not to exceed $295,560 for the construction of the downtown street lights replacement. Bids were opened April 6 and the board awarded the project to Hawk on April 21.

 

The post Bids opened for Center Lake Recreation Trail appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-06-072315.png