The back part of the Winamac Town Park has been closed.
Park Superintendent Don Thompson told the Winamac Town Board this week that there is flooding in the back part of the park so Thompson decided to close it. That part of the park will be closed until Spring.
He also informed the Board that the park is winterized for the season.
The Winamac Town Board, Safe Routes to School Task Force and Friends of the Panhandle Pathway are getting together to make the Panhandle Trail accessible to the residents of Winamac.
A plan is in the works to extend the Panhandle Pathway north to Winamac, connecting to Superior Street. This will allow the Pathway to connect to the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation. It will be paved with stone and later paved with asphalt. This will be a safe route to school for children and it will also be a safe walking and bike route for everyone.
The sewer separation project is nearing an end in the Town of Winamac.
Clerk-Treasurer Judy Heater told us that three-quarters of the paving is done and all streets affected with the project should be finished today. The Town’s fall paving schedule was combined with the project’s paving schedule so more could be done and the work is being handled by E&B Paving and Central Paving. Heater said the businesses have been very cooperative during this long process.
Winamac Wastewater Superintendent, Brad Zellers, came before the Winamac Town Board this week to report on the $5.2 million dollar sewer separation project. Zellers said the project is actually ahead of schedule and that all of the pipes are in the ground. The installation of some manholes and catch basins have yet to be completed. Also to be determined is if the compaction is adequate to pave the streets. IDEM rules are that the pipes must be in the ground 30 days before the paving can begin, which would put it in the middle of November.
The Winamac Town Board discussed the sewer separation project at their meeting this week.
The Board heard that the wastewater piping had been fixed and the sewer separation was now being done on Riverside Drive between Rowan and 13th streets. The Board opened bids for the paving part of the project and pending further review of the specs from the Board Attorney, the lowest bid will be approved and that came from Central Paving at $53,545. Part of Washington Street will be paved in addition to this project. The Board hopes the entire project can be completed by the end of November or before the weather prohibits the application of asphalt.
The Winamac Town Board members held a Public Hearing for the proposed 2012 budget at their meeting Monday night. No comments were made during the hearing. The total of all funds proposed for 2012 is $1,470,882.
The Town Board also learned that the Town is the recipient of a fully-funded Safe Routes to School Green 3 grant worth $75,000. The Safe Routes to School grant allows a study to be done to see how students travel to school and, if needed, to provide a sidewalk or other gateway for children to safely travel to school. The Town will put up the money immediately and it will be paid back in full.
The sewer separation project in the Town of Winamac has resumed after Local 150 Union workers returned to the job. Contract issues had sidelined the project. Workers were off the job three weeks, and they are currently on Madison Street. The crews are trying to complete the Burson Street part of the project.
During their meeting Monday, the Winamac Town Board members heard from a group of concerned citizens about the extension of the runway at Arens Field in Winamac. The citizens are against the project and informed the members of why they are against the project. The biggest concern is the acquisition of land from farmers to extend the runway.
The Board learned that the Town was denied a Recreational Trails Grant to be used to finish the Panhandle Pathway project. The Town will apply for the grant again next year.
The Winamac Town Board received an update on the proposed dog park this week.
The Pulaski County 4-H members have been trying to obtain funding for two years for a dog park that will be located on Logan and Pearl Streets in Winamac. The dog park will be available for residents to let their dogs out and enjoy the outdoors and the park will also eventually used for agility training.
The engineers working on the sewer separation project in the downtown area appeared before the Winamac Town Board to give them an update on the project. The project is going along well and the workers were able to complete the work by the fire department in one day so the road could be open in the case of an emergency. Work is being done around the Cruisers area this week.
The Winamac Town Board heard from Park Superintendent, Don Thompson, about damage done to the park due to flooding and vandalism.
He reported that the park was under water again this year when the Tippecanoe River swelled and drifted into the park. The Pulaski County Extension Office had removed items from the 4-H buildings to avoid further water damage. Beaver damage was also reported during the flood. Thompson also told the Board that several unknown person(s) caused damage to the playground equipment during a so-called party at the park. Glass was broken around the equipment and clean-up was extensive.
The Town of Winamac will not pick up bagged grass again this year. According to Town Manager, Jim Conner, the Town Board decided that residents will need to dispose of their own grass clippings. The issue was brought up last year when the Town Board and Wastewater Superintendent, Brad Zellers, expressed concern about the grass clippings in the streets and the problems they cause with the sewer system, especially during rains.
Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Pulaski County Officers elected into office in the General Election were sworn into office Tuesday afternoon. Officers were sworn in by Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn and Superior Court Judge Patrick Blankenship.
Starke United Executive Director, Edie Hall, told WKVI that the WKVI-Starke United Auction netted $7,669.
At their recent meeting, the Winamac Town Board members approved the salary ordinances for employees and elected officials. A one-and-a-half percent increase was approved.
Brad Zellers, Wastewater Superintendent, told the Board members that the lack of grass sitting in the streets has made a difference. Earlier this year, the Town Board was concerned about how the clippings were clogging the sewer system, especially during rain events. Zellers said he will be able to determine the true success of that change in the Spring when he and his staff vactor the sewer lines. Zellers reported to the Board that they been repairing several small pumps and will start on building improvements in the remaining portion of the pole building this winter.
