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MENTONE – Mentone Town Council on Wednesday approved a timeline for phase 2 of the Mentzer Park upgrade.
Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe went before the council and talked about the Community Amenities Program (CAP) grant. It is a $5 million grant initially established through the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative (OIRI) and managed by the K21 Health Foundation. It is designed to bring communities together through quality-of-life projects like parks, trails, community centers and gathering spaces. Roe said smaller towns in the county can apply for grants up to $500,000 and it is a 50/50 match.
Mentone, after much conversation, has decided to complete phase 2 of the park upgrade, she said. The town has until June 30 to apply for the grant and to get the details worked out.
Some of the projects that are being looked at potentially being added to the park include pickleball court, disco golf, a walking trail, benches, security cameras, an upgraded parking lot and finishing off the kitchen.
One of the things Roe said she’ll talk to the council about at some point is a Patronicity grant to be possibly used for the upgrade.
Roe presented the timeline to the council, which the council approved. The timeline includes working on quotes and choosing vendors for the upgrade in December, finalizing project quotes and costs in January and submitting a letter of intent for a Kosciusko County Community Foundation grant in February.
In other business, the council:
• Heard from Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak about audio issues with the November meeting livestream that came to her attention. The issues have been resolved for ongoing livestreams.
• Heard from Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd that 377 new water meters have been installed around town and seven more have to be installed.
• Heard the Mentone Christmas Open House Craft Show will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mentone Fire Station.
• Heard the Egg Festival in 2026 will be May 28-30. It was moved due the Freedom Festival June 5-7.
• Heard from Shepherd the town was preliminary awarded a $262,005.36 Community Crossings Match Grant for next year.
• Set their meetings dates for 2026 as the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
