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If you build it, they will come.
But before the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board can start applying for grants for building a greenway between the towns of Winona Lake and Pierceton, some pre-planning has to take place. And to get that pre-planning in place, there has to be some fundraising.
Rob Bishop, Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board, told the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday that while the Parks and Recreation Board didn’t receive a grant the commissioners had previously approved for the board to apply for, “as we were starting to look for the money we needed to go for that grant, we were gladdened that we had really pretty good success. We have at least $7,500 that is already earmarked for pre-planning of the trail from Winona Lake to Pierceton.”
He said the board would like to shift gears, with the commissioners’ approval, to go ahead and try to fundraise for the entire approximate $40,000 that would pre-planning would require.
“That would be money that we plan on putting into having sent to the county general fund. I know that would be a question. We are not planning on asking for people to send that to the Community Foundation fund. So this will all be asked to be sent to the county,” Bishop stated. “We do have some at the Community Foundation. We had somebody walk in off the street and said, ‘How can I help? I saw an article in the paper.’ That’s some of the money we have.”
He reiterated the board’s request for permission to fundraise for the pre-planning.
County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker said the county does have a donation fund set up for the Parks and Recreation Department.
Commissioner Bob Conley said it was nice the community was willing to give if you ask.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “I know that this Winona Lake to Pierceton greenway, as the Park Board went through its master plan, this is definitely a priority project that they would like to see move forward. I just think it’s a great opportunity for us to see if we can raise some money to get this planning done. Because until we can get a plan and really know where it’s going to go and what the costs are going to be, it’s tough to apply for grants until we have that. So I think this is a great jumpstart for us to be able to be ready for that.”
Groninger and Commissioner Sue Ann Mitchell thanked the Park Board for being willing to do the fundraising.
The commissioners unanimously approved for the board to fundraise.
IDOC Grants
Earlier in the commissioners’ meeting, Community Corrections Director James Henry requested permission to apply for two Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) grants - the first for $350,755 and the second for $90,000.
“These are grants we apply for every year. It basically funds the majority of Community Corrections and our Drug Court, our problem-solving court,” he said.
The grant for $350,755 covers the majority of their operating costs for the year, he said, and it’s an advance grant.
Mitchell said, “The county does appropriate money to be your secondary fund. I know the way that (former director) Barry (Andrew) had always explained it in case that grant didn’t come through, the county would put money into the general fund. And that was not to be spent, that was to be only if you had to spend it if that grant didn’t come through, or if there were things that grant would not pay for.”
Henry responded, “The way we operate now is we have project income, that is money that comes from our user fees, and that is the money that we have in our account currently. Right now we don’t receive any funds from the county. We’re almost self-funded, if you will, at this point in time. But if we did not receive the grant funds, we would be able to operate for two to three years at this point without any like major obstacles.”
The commissioners approved both grant applications unanimously.
County Administrator Marsha McSherry presented a grant of easement, which is primarily for underground facilities.
“This would be at the Work Release property that the county owns at 2605 E. Center St. We’ll be running fiber to the building and then back out to the city easement,” she explained.
The fiber internet will provide the county with redundancy from the county highway department all the way uptown Warsaw to the county Justice Building.
“This piece will get us a little bit of it. So there’s two parts of it. Eventually, we’ll do the third leg from the city of Warsaw Police Department out there uptown to the Justice Building, so we need this step before we can proceed,” McSherry said.
The commissioners approved the request 3-0.
Emergency Management Agency Director Kip Shuter presented his 2025 year-end report, highlighting a few things to the commissioners such as inter-agency coordination, partnerships with organizations and businesses and planning and preparedness.
Other Business
In other business, the commissioners unanimously approved:
• An LPA (Local Public Agency) contract for construction inspection of road striping between the county and the consultant, Butler, Fairman & Seugert Inc., for an HSIP (Highway Safety Improvement Program) grant, as requested by Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty. The contract is for $45,000.
Another LPA contract for construction inspection of road striping between the county and the same consultant for $50,000 also was approved.
• An agreement between Red Wing Corp. and the county for boots for the Kosciusko County Highway Department, as requested by Moriarty. He said the agreement was put in the 2026 budget last year and received approval for that.
“This is just an agreement saying for the next two years that it would reduce every time we got the boots for the county highway employees,” he stated.
In making the motion to approve the request, Mitchell said it sounded like it was a “great program.”
• For the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office to apply for the 2026 $15,000 Indiana Department of Natural Resources Marine Patrol Grant. Matron Michelle Hyden said the KCSO applies for the grant annually, with $7,500 of it come from state and $7,500 federal. “We use that for payroll for the lake patrol,” she said.
• The 2026 attorney agreement between the recorder’s office and attorney Adam Turner, as presented by County Recorder Deb Wright.
• County Clerk Melissa Boggs’ request to enter into the 2026 Infinity Voting System annual maintenance agreement.
• A contract renewal with Maximus U.S. Services Inc. for three years at $6,600 per year for the prosecutor’s office/Title IV-D office, as requested by Bishop, child support director.
The contract will “help us with our reimbursement accounting. As you know, two-thirds of the cost of my division is reimbursed by the state, and they audit us closely, so this makes sure we’re in compliance,” he stated.
Mitchell stated, “That is a wise investment,” and Bishop agreed.
• All of the vacation and rezoning requests presented by Area Plan Director Matt Sandy. The Area Plan Commission unanimously recommended that all of them be approved and there were no remonstrators at Tuesday’s meeting.
The vacation request was for Moises Sanchez Delgadillo and is a 132-foot-long portion of an unimproved right-of-way in the unincorporated town of Wooster.
The first rezoning was for Mark Jones off the east side of Chapman Lake Drive, north of EMS C11. The property will go from commercial to residential for the purpose of building a residence, Sandy said.
The second rezoning was for Fellowship Missions for 20 acres on the west side of Warsaw to be rezoned from agriculture to residential. The property is off the north end of Riverwood Ranch Road. The last occupant of the property was All Things New. Sandy said the rezoning would “open the door for us to get them approvals for their use that fits in there.”
Eric Lane, Fellowship Missions executive director, stated, “We’re excited about the opportunity to utilize the house and the property as it has all the way back to Rosie Kline when she originally owned the property and they were taking in boys. Riverwood Ranch and all of that. So, yeah, we’re just excited to be able to have that property.”
The last rezoning was to rezone 1.96 acres north of Ind. 25, on the west side of CR 780W, near Mentone, from agriculture to agriculture-2 for Timothy Britton. Lucas Britton said his parents wanted to give him the property for a home so he could be closer to them.
The next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Feb. 10.
