Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko County Farmers and Artisan Market will return to downtown Warsaw this year, but with a shorter schedule than organizers originally requested and a slightly different configuration.
When Lisa Hawley, representing the nonprofit farmers market, made the original road closure request Feb. 6 to the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety, it was for Center Street between Lake and Buffalo streets, and Buffalo Street between
Center and Market streets, to be closed every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 18 to Oct. 31, with the market running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, at that Board of Works meeting, complaints were aired from Warsaw Common Council members about the market’s location and the frequency of the road closures. The board tabled the matter until their meeting Friday, March 6.
At their meeting Friday, the board denied entertaining that request by a vote of 2-0, with Board member George Clemens absent.
A new road closure request from the Kosciusko County Farmers and Artisan Market was then presented to the board. It includes closing Center Street between Lake and Buffalo streets - with any overflow going into the City Hall plaza - from May 2 to Oct. 10. The road would close from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the market hours being 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If there is an America 250 Freedom Fest on June 6, there will not be a farmers market that morning.
“Again, a lot of work, the past four weeks, by countless people has gotten us to this point,” Mayor Jeff Grose said. He thanked Hawley for her countless time and efforts working on the matter.
Hawley said, “The only reason we ask for the 10th of October is because we can not get in to the Pete Thorn building until the 17th. Otherwise, we would have asked for the end of October.”
Board member and Councilwoman Diane Quance asked about Hawley marking “No” on the road closure request form that asks if any part of the event is for-profit. Quance said she thought it was for-profit for the vendors. Hawley responded, “Just the vendors. The market itself does not get any money from this.”
Grose said the market is a nonprofit organization. Quance thanked Hawley for the clarification. She made the motion to approve the road closure request, Grose seconded it and the motion passed 2-0.
Prior to the discussion on the farmers market, Quance mentioned Clemens “and his family are in our thoughts and prayers, following his serious accident and surgery. Prayers for his continued recovery, and we hope that he will be back with us soon.”
In other business, the board approved:
• Pay application No. 8 for the bond in the amount of $429,032.49 for the Warsaw Street Department new facility project, as requested by Warsaw Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner. He said a lot of progress has been made on the project, with a lot of steel up and underground plumbing portions in place. Robinson Construction is the contractor for the project.
• Pay application No. 49 for $2,500 from American Structurepoint for preliminary engineering work for the Anchorage Road Project, as requested by Skinner.
He said construction will start March 16.
Quance thanked the Street Department for “delivering the information on the trash days to the residents that are affected, so they’ve all received a letter from the city. If for any reason they have not, they should come to the mayor’s office to get a copy of that letter.”
Skinner said the information was put out through the street department, the mayor’s office, social media and the newspaper.
“I appreciate everyone working together to get this information out. It’ll be a long project. Every day is accounted for on this calendar through November, so it’s a tight window. The goal is to get this project done this year. It will be painful, but at the end the improvements will be much appreciated by everybody, not only with the widening of the road, the sidewalks, the walkability, being able to walk to Meijer, it’ll be great. So, it’ll be a good project, but there will be some headache along the way,” he explained.
• The Kosciusko Development Inc. (KDI) annual agreement with Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) for economic development services for $100,000, to be paid in 12 monthly installments, as requested by Skinner. The amount is the same as last year.
KEDCO serves as the city’s Local Economic Development Official (LEDO).
“The state requires a LEDO to be the contact for all counties and cities throughout Indiana, and KEDCO operates as our LEDO” Skinner explained. “So, any communication with the state goes through them, down to us.”
• Pay application No. 1 from G & G Hauling & Excavating for $171,649.10 for demolition work of the former Jomac buildings, as requested by City Planner Justin Taylor. The half million-dollar demolition project is funded by a Community Development Block Grant from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The city applied for the grant funding on behalf of Fellowship Missions.
• Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon’s request to move forward with a $8,200 supplemental contract with VS Engineering Inc. The original contract, presented July 3, 2025, was for the design of milling and paving and full-depth patching of Parker Street, Husky Trail, Patterson Road and CR 75N, as well as the creation of construction documents and bid packets for the 2026 Community Crossings Matching Grant.
“Now that the project is getting ready to go out to bid, we need to apply for the construction stormwater general permit,” he said.
The total amount for the contract is $65,800.
• A contract between the city and Wessler Engineering for 2026 on-call engineering services, not to exceed $40,000, as requested by Utility Manager Brian Davison.
• A three-year agreement with MacAllister Machinery for the wastewater utility for $123,663 to service all the generators that the utility has, as requested by Davison. The contract is for August 2026 to February 2029.
• A new 63-month contract with Quadient Leasing for $189.98 per month for postage meter rental, as requested by Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen. She said the current five-year lease is up.
• The travel requests and the new hire/change in payroll report, as presented by Human Resource Director Denny Harlan.
The new report included two new hires. Michael Wippel joins the Street Department as a sanitation refuse collector at $20 per hour, effective March 16; and Jacob Anderson is a probationary patrol officer with the Warsaw Police Department, effective March 15, at $2,550.84 biweekly. Anderson will be the 43rd officer on the police department.
• For the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory to purchase a 2024 Chevy Tahoe for $42,000 from the Warsaw Municipal Airport, as requested by Fire Chief Joel Shilling. The WWFT Board approved the purchase Tuesday. Funds to replace a staff vehicle are in the 2026 budget.
• For the WWFT to purchase 11 computers, along with the necessary accessories, from J & K Communications for $74,429.88, as requested by Shilling. The WWFT Board approved the purchase Tuesday.
• The annual conservation, preservation and maintenance agreements with the Center Lake Conservation Association Inc., Pike Lake Association Inc. and Winona Lake Preservation Association for $2,500 each, as requested by Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer.
