WARSAW — All city of Warsaw's public meetings will temporarily move to the Warsaw police department Training Center, 2225 East Fort Wayne St., beginning Monday, Feb. 2.

The relocation of meetings is due to HVAC construction in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

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WARSAW — Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose says the temporary movement of all city board meetings from the council chambers in city hall will shift to the city police department’s training center at the beginning of February.

The shift is expected to continue for a month or so and is part of a four-phase project involving improvements to the city government's HVAC system.

Upgrades in technology have been completed at the training center to allow for all meetings to be recorded and available online, Grose said last week.

"I think it will work out. It will be somewhat difficult, but it will work out and it has to be done," Grose said.

After work in the council chambers is complete, the focus will then move to the wastewater and clerk-treasurer’s office. A month or so later, work will focus on the plan office.

"The plan office will be moving over to my office and HR, so we'll be all together," Grose said. "Wanna see the mayor, city planner, and code enforcement come to my office. We'll all be on TV trays."

The $1.7 million project is expected to conclude in August, he said.

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WARSAW — Warsaw City meetings will move to the Police Department Training Center in December and January while work is being done in the council chambers at City Hall.

At Monday night’s Warsaw Common Council meeting, Council President Jack Wilhite asked about the work that will be going on at the City Hall building.

Mayor Jeff Grose explained they’ve met with Core Mechanical several times on the HVAC system in City Hall.

“It’s going to happen very soon. In days, or the next week, they’re going to take care of a major unit. They’re not going to put it up on the roof. It’s going to just be outside, basically taking (Human Resource Director) Denny Harlan’s (parking) spot,” he said.

“They’ll take care of that for several weeks, and then Dec. 15 to Jan. 30, phase II they call it, they’re going to fix the council chambers. So we’ll be working with the council and other boards, along with the clerk-treasurer’s office, to move all public meetings that are normally held in this council chambers to the Warsaw Police Department,” he said.

Grose said WPD Chief Scott Whitaker and his department were gracious enough to let the city take over three-quarters of that training room.

“It sounds easy, but all these laptops have to go. State law now wants everything on video record,” Grose said, noting he’s the one that is going to be running the video equipment for the six weeks.

“That’s going to be a good faith effort. There’s plenty of parking. The training room is really nice. You guys were gracious enough to approve restrooms, and so those are in there and it’s really good. But that will be for about six weeks,” he said.

After the council chambers, Core will then move to the wastewater collections and clerk-treasurer’s offices. That will be about another six weeks, and then they’ll move upstairs to Building & Planning for six to seven weeks; then in July or August, transition over to working in the HR and mayor’s offices.

“A huge project that’s needed to be done for a long time,” Grose said. “... We’re going to make it right.”

If it doesn’t get done now, quoting Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen, it’ll be worse in the future, he said. Christiansen has been very creative in finding funds for the project in 2025 and 2026.

He expected the council to meet in the council chambers for their Dec. 15 meeting, but would have their January meetings at the WPD Training Center.

Wilhite said, “This is sort of been in the works for, even from the previous administration. Like you said, it’s a long time coming, and finally we’re going to get it done.

Funding for the approximate $1.7 million project will come from the American Rescue Plan Act, a supplemental distribution and the lawsuit settlement.

On Dec. 16, 2011, the city entered into an AIA contract for the remodeling of City Hall.

In October 2020, the city filed a civil suit against multiple defendants after poor installation of the HVAC systems at City Hall. The performance of the contract resulted in the HVAC being improperly installed, installed out of conformity to the contract documents or being negligently installed. The systems resulted in malfunctions, degradation of other parts of the HVAC system and building installations, which are all ongoing, according to previous news articles on the lawsuit.

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By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — Some area residents had been urging elected officials to participate in a town hall in Warsaw to discuss concerns, and they got it Tuesday night when Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith hosted a sprawling, nearly two-hour conversation at Warsaw City Hall.

The Q-and-A touched on a wide variety of policy issues in a free-wheeling give-and-take that included at least two heated exchanges.

[caption id="attachment_114042" align="alignright" width="300"] Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith wrapped up a full day in Waraw with a two-hour town hall at City Hall Tuesday night. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Tuesday's event attracted about 60-70 people and marked the eighth this year since he took office. It was also the first in northern Indiana.

The gathering capped a full day of meetings by Beckwith with media, community leaders, police and North Webster residents concerned about a dam.

Earlier this year, some Warsaw-area residents had complained loudly about the lack of willingness by U.S. Rep Rudy Yakym to host a town hall. He and members of Congress have refrained from having large public meetings amid growing political violence that included the recent assassination of a state lawmaker in Minnesota.

Tuesday's town hall included two police officers inside the council chambers where the event was held, two more in the lobby, and another who could be seen through a window pacing along the nearby sidewalk.

Among the highlights, Beckwith doubled down on his argument about the historic three-fifths compromise, arguing that it was not a pro-discrimination effort. Those comments came up earlier this year and drew a backlash from some Indianapolis pastors and a suggestion by Gov. Mike Braun that, in the future, Beckwith needs to think before he talks.

The basis for the entire issue came up during the General Assembly by a lawmaker concerned with a specific bill that touched on race.

“This is because we had a senator at the State Senate saying, ‘Hey, three-fifths compromise, I would’ve been treated like three-fifths of a person.’ “ Beckwith recalled. 

“That’s not even what that was …. She didn’t even know her history. I like to make sure people know accurate history. I will double down on that all day long, and I defend what I said because I said what was right.

An unidentified woman who prompted the topic questioned why he would bring up such a sensitive subject, and then quickly brought up Beckwith's past assertion that Democrats pay groups to help turn out the vote.

He did so by recalling a conversation with a friend who is a black pastor.

"He literally told me the Democrat Party in Marion County came to him and would pay him $15,00 a year to get voter turnout. What he'd use it for was for playgrounds, for parks in his church backyard," Beckwith said.

"This is straight from his mouth to my ears, and there have been other pastors who have received the same type of contribution. And it's all the same ... 'You can use this however you want, but we would really like it — wink, wink — if you get Democrat voters to come out and vote for Democrats in the primary and general."

Beckwith also got into a heated exchange with Brian Smith, chairman of Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, who urged Beckwith to back up his claims that Democrats pay groups to encourage voter turnout by taking it to federal court.

At one point, Smith and Beckwith began talking over each other, with Beckwith saying he's capable of speaking louder if needed.

 “I’m telling you what happened. From his mouth to my ears,” Beckwith said.

“You don’t have evidence,” Smith said. 

“I got a witness. Is that not evidence?” Beckwith replied.

“It needs to be investigated,” Smith said.

Beckwith then added, “Now that we’ve got a good Republican-appointed prosecutor down there (District Court in Southern Indiana), maybe we’ll do something about it,”  sparking some applause.

"This has been going on, not just in Indianapolis, this goes on all over the country. We’re seeing this time and time again,” Beckwith said.

Abortion was another subject that came up and led to a lengthy discussion.

Beckwith said he’d be OK with Indiana allowing abortions in the case of rape with one condition.

“I want to see us go after the person who raped the mom, caused the muder of that child to happpen – I want to see us go after that person (and see them) not only charged with rape but alo with first degree murder, he said.

That surfaced after a woman criticized President Trump for his tendency to demean people as well as accusations by numerous women that he raped them years ago.

Beckwith mentioned the importance of forgiveness and pointed out that those alleged incidents happened before he was elected, and then reminded the audience about former president Bill Clinton, who had oral sex with an intern while in the White House, which drew hoots and hollers from the crowd.

That led to Beckwith’s thoughts on the sexual revolution and what he calls "consequence-less" sexual activity that often relies on the use of condoms by young people.

And he added out of the blue: "You know Kamala Harris started as a escort, right? That's where she got her start."

(Beckwith was repeating a false allegation about Harris that surfaced during the 2024 presidential campaign. A PolitiFact investigation last year debunked the rumor, finding no evidence, corroborating sources or testimony to support the claim.)

Several people, including a farmer, Don Zolman, thanked Beckwith for hosting the event.

“I want to thank you for coming. You had the courage to come here and take questions from people, and I’d like for you to pass on a message to Rudy Yakym so maybe he could do the same thing for his constituents,” Zolman said.

“I encourage every elected official,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith talked with reporters afterward and reflected on the interactions.

“I always say, 'Bring your hardest questions' … and I love that. It got a little chippy back and fourth which I again think is fantastic and ultimately, I think people walked out respecting both sides.” he said.

He was also asked about President Trump's massive policy bill, often referred to as "One Big Beautiful Bill, which was approved by the Senate earlier in the day and needs a final send-off by the House before it can be signed into law.

"Ultimately, Gov. Braun, myself — we trust President Trump. We've seen his leadership. He campaigned on this. It's not perfect. I'd like to see a lot more cutting of spending, but ultimately he won the election because he said he'd do this and we've got to give him the benefit of the doubt that this is gonna be a great thing for America," Beckwith said.

[gallery size="full" columns="1" ids="114086,114044,114047"]

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WARSAW —  About 25 people, including some well-known local Democrats, turned a meeting planned for constituency services on Monday in Warsaw into a forum to vent anger over President Trump’s slashing of government services.

They also made it clear they want to have a town hall meeting with Rep. Rudy Yakym whose office hosted the meeting originally overseen by a sole staffer.

[caption id="attachment_105714" align="alignright" width="420"] Griffin Nate, district director for Congressman Rudy Yakym, reiterated at least twice that the audience at Monday's gathering needed to be respectful. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The meeting at Warsaw City Hall turned momentarily raucous as residents complained about the slew of changes ushered in by Trump and specifically Elon Musk.

The meeting was intended to be for constituents who need one-on-one consultations, but apparently, everyone who showed up wanted to discuss policy changes set forth by Trump during his first 30 days in office.

A congressional staffer, Savannah Smallwood, said minutes after arriving at the noon-time meeting that she felt overwhelmed by the crowd and their desire to talk policy rather than discuss individual issues like receiving veterans services.

Often, those kinds of meetings attract very few people, sometimes none, she said.

[caption id="attachment_105716" align="alignright" width="350"] Former Kosciusko County Democratic Chair Brian Smith (Right) said he's worried about the elimination of USAID and a program that combats AIDS in Africa that was established by President George W. Bush. At left is Savvanah Smallwood, a staffer for the office of Congressman Rudy Yakym. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Tensions escalated after Smallwood put district director Griffin Nate on speakerphone.

Nate demanded those attending be respectful of his staffer.

"This is how this is gonna work," Nate said. "These are not town halls. These are office hours, and so you all are to be respectful of members of my team. What's going to happen is you can speak to her one by one, but we are not offering a group format," Nate said.

Don Zolman, a farmer and businessman, complained about the lack of town halls.

"I have a question for you, sir, when are we going to have a town hall since you are the boss," Zolman said.

"We are not doing a town hall," Nate said.

"Why not?" Zolman asked as others started yelling.

"Because we're not," Nate replied.

Nate pointed out that Yakym regularly travels through the district and meets with groups and businesses and that one of those tours ended last week.

While those are publicized to the media for the sake of coverage, the schedules are not released to the public.

Yakym has never held a public town hall meeting, which follows suit with his predecessor, the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, who only held one in about ten years.

About 50 minutes later, Nate showed up at the meeting and reiterated his demand that people act respectfully.

[caption id="attachment_105717" align="alignright" width="350"] Julie Kuhn expressed concerns over decreased reproductive rights and the thought of seeing Social Security payments cut. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Both sides accused each other of being disrespectful, but tensions soon settled and everyone who wanted to speak was given a chance.

Among those speaking was Vicki Morton, Kosciusko County Democratic Party Chair who is also a board member for Cardinal Services. She expressed concern over the future of Medicaid funding and the potential cuts to Head Start which is funded through the US Department of Education.

Trump has said he wants to eliminate the Department of Education, which provides money for Head Start.

[caption id="attachment_105715" align="alignright" width="350"] Donald Guthrie said he doesn't mind some reductions but questioned if Congressman Rudy Yakym is providing any oversight over changes being instituted by Elon Musk. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Former Democratic Party Chair Brian Smith said the plan to dismantle USAID would have far-reaching circumstances.

One of those programs provides essential services for AIDS patients in Africa and was established by President George W. Bush.

Julie Kuhn joined others upset with the role of Elon Musk who appears to be overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency known as DOGE.

She also wondered what would happen if Social Security was cut.

"What if half of my income goes away because of the random eight percent budget cuts? What will I do? What will anyone do?" she said.

Donald Guthrie expressed concern with the lack of apparent oversight.

"For me personally, I don’t have a problem with them scaling back on the government,” Guthrie said. “I want to know what kind of oversight is Congressman Yakym is doing to make sure these choices of letting people go are thoughtful … that they’re not just one guy with some twenty-somethings going through (the process).

A military veteran said he worries that cuts to the Veterans Administration will hurt significantly services.

A woman also brought up national security.

"I am also very upset and concerned that the executive branch seems to be siding with what used to be our enemies and turning away what was our allies," she said. "The executive branch is pretty much stating out loud that we are friends with Russia and throwing Ukraine under the bus. This is a shift in the international order that has kept us safe as a nation for 75-80 years."

Nobody stepped forward to discuss personal constituency issues with the staff.

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WARSAW — Warsaw is now one of three Indiana cities with a therapy dog that’s become a regular face in city hall.

The opportunity arose after Whitney Olson, who works in the mayor's office as an administrative assistant and happens to train dogs in her off time, transferred ownership of her 7-year-old black lab to Staci Young, assistant to the mayor last year.

[caption id="attachment_95212" align="alignright" width="370"] Taima has a business card that includes a QR code on the back that takes you to her Facebook page. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Olson notes that therapy dogs are different than traditional service dogs.

Service dogs provide different types of assistance to their owners and are trained not to be distracted so that they remain focused on their role.

The idea of having a therapy dog in city hall gained support after a city wellness committee embraced the plan.

Taima — pronounced tame-a — has become a welcoming presence in city hall for workers and visitors.

Her dog bed sits next to a desk in the middle of the common area in Mayor Jeff Grose's office.

"We've had grown men in business suits sit on her bed and hang out for ten, 15 minutes petting her and reaping the benefits of having her here," Olson said. "So she is a positive influence everywhere."

Olson was asked if she thinks the role of a service dog in city hall is a big deal.

"The more she's here and the more impact she herself is proving, the mayor is starting to find out it's a big deal, our HR director is starting to find out it's a big deal, our employees are starting to find out it's a big deal," Olson said.

Taima is specifically trained to detect if somebody is upset and has become a supportive presence.

Taima recently picked up on one person's sullen demeanor while they were visiting the mayor's office and was persistent in wanting to visit with that person.

"She went into Jeff's conference room and laid her head across his lap, and then while he was sitting there having the meeting, he was able to pet her and eventually, calm down," Olson said. "When she felt like he was calmed down, she laid down next to his feet, which is what she is supposed to do."

Mayor Jeff Grose said he's enjoyed the dog's company and applauds the efforts by Olson.

"This is something she takes seriously and has been a part of for years so why not encourage it?" Grose said during a recent episode of New Now Warsaw's In the Know show.

"We're taking this seriously and this is something we want to offer to our employees in the community," he said

Taima now has a Facebook page and can be scheduled for workers to have a sit down with the dog if they feel it would help.

City Hall has established a Google form for city employees to set aside time to be with Taima. The appointments are kept private in case somebody is having a crisis.

Noblesville and Zionsville have both adopted – so to speak – therapy dog policies for their city halls, Olson said.

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