Meeting Scheduled with DNR Officials to Determine Design of Winamac Town Park Restrooms

Entrance to the Winamac Town Park

The Winamac Park Board continues to try to nail down a design for new town park restrooms. The board has hired architect Mark Maddox to draw up the plans, but he needs to know what exactly the park board wants before he can proceed.

Board members previously discussed some ideas. But there’s still confusion about whether the state would allow the two restrooms and shelter to be built under one roof, or if it would technically have to be three separate structures.

During Thursday’s park board meeting, town manager and board member Brad Zellers explained that he’s gotten different answers from different people in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Water. “I said, ‘Well, we need to know what we need to do, so we’ve got pictures of everything,'” Zellers explained.

To settle the issue, Zellers plans to meet with DNR officials this afternoon. “There’s going to be three of those from that department in there, and we’ll have it all figured out,” he said. “I asked for some type of variance, possibly, if they don’t want to do that. It would be nice because it would be a lot cheaper to do one roof. So, we’ll see.”

Park Board President Courtney Poor asked that the project schedule be adjusted. “Let’s relax our time-frame on the architect because this is not his fault that he does not have this information already, and we put him under a time restraint of the end of the year,” Poor said. “I’d like to at least make a motion that we will extend that at least 30 days, so that it gives him a chance to do things properly.”

Board members agreed with the idea, but didn’t think a formal motion was needed.