The Winamac Park Board finally appears to be ready to accept construction bids for the Town Park restroom project. Plans call for the old brick restrooms in the front of the park to be demolished and replaced with a new structure, with more ADA-compliant stalls and more room in general.
During Thursday’s meeting, Park Board Secretary Kim Burke said she still hadn’t gotten a confirmation letter on the town’s Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, but the federal money appears to have come through. Board members expect to open bids at their June meeting.
In the meantime, board member and town manager Brad Zellers plans to ask the town council to approve funding for the local match. “I think what [Clerk-Treasurer] Melanie [Berger] was thinking, we’ll take $72,000 out of the Park Gift Fund, and we’ll take $60,000 out of Recreation, and she’ll do an additional appropriation for that one,” Zellers explained.
Zellers also plans to ask the town council for permission to use $3,500 in Rainy Day Fund money toward the inspection of the Town Park’s “swinging bridge.” The other $3,000 for that will come out of the park board’s Bridge Repair budget.
Zellers previously said the high cost is partially due to the fact that the inspection will include a check for lead paint. The regular inspection is considered a first step in preparing for the bridge’s centennial in 2023.
