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Claims were the main purpose the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission had a second meeting in July on Monday, specifically disbursements for the new Public Works/Street Department building project.
The first seven claims included $175.49 from NIPSCO for the Marsh property; $10,642.85 from Warsaw Community Development Corp. for the 2025 agreement of services with Main Street Warsaw; $2,120 from A & Z Engineering for engineering work on the CR 200N and Husky Trail roundabout; $15,000 from Kosciusko Development Inc. for community engagement with Ball State on the Winona Avenue project; $3,350 and $4,500 from Prince Land Surveying for the Warsaw Tech Park and Marsh property plats; and $37,968.65 from The Bank of New York for the RIF bond payment for the Belle Augusta housing development project.
“And the real reason for this meeting is the next seven claims, our disbursements from the Street Department bond issue,” Warsaw Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner told the commission.
Those claims included $13,565 and $65,000 from Bakertilly; $750 from MuniPlatform; $22,277 from Standard & Poor’s; $15,750 from Rockhill Pinnick; $95,190.83 from Barnes & Thornburg; and $692,885.66 from Robinson Construction.
“And that all comes out of the bond funds for the street department bond,” Skinner said of the last seven claims.
The claim from Robinson Construction was for property acquisition on West Center Street and the demolition of those three homes.
The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved the disbursement requests at their meeting Friday.
The bond for the new Public Works facility is about $13.5 million. The substantial completion date is set for July 31, 2027, according to information provided at prior city meetings. Total square feet of the main building floor area, including mezzanines is 50,125. Three properties on Center Street to the east of the current facility were purchased to allow the facility to be shifted to the east.
Redevelopment Commission member Joe Thallemer made the motion to approve all the claims, Council President Jack Wilhite seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Councilman Mike Klondaris asked what the timeline was for the Husky Trail roundabout.
“I know there’s work going on there and traffic is snarled up,” Klondaris said, referring to the county bridge project on Husky Trail.
Skinner said he didn’t have a specific timeline.
“Part of it, and I think we’ve talked about this, was having it ready to go what may happen with Parkview when they’re done with their facility. I wanted an action plan for the traffic that it’s going to generate. We know that intersection at certain times of the day is not great as it is now, and when you add 300 employees and God knows how many visitors a day to that Parkview facility, it could make that intersection non-functioning. So I wanted a plan. It could be next year, it could be a year from now. Just kind of watching it to see what happens,” Skinner explained.
He said he didn’t intend to use federal funds for the roundabout, so it would be a tax increment financing (TIF)-funded project, but there is some property acquisition that needs to be done as well.
“So the idea is that the plan will be done. We’ll slowly work on the right-of-way, and, depending on traffic, after the new development starts, we may have to move quicker or slower on it, depending,” Skinner continued.
The next Redevelopment Commission meeting is at 4 p.m. Aug. 4 in the city council chambers at City Hall.
