SYRACUSE — Wawasee Property Owners Association, with the assistance of Griffith’s Wawasee Marina, Syracuse, donated a new patrol boat for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department lake patrol program.
Sheriff William “Rocky” Goshert said thanks go to both of the organizations for their generous community-minded donation, according to a news release from?KCSD.
The patrol boat was purchased with donations made to the Wawasee Property Owners Association by its membership and discounts by Griffith’s Wawasee Marina. It was outfitted with police equipment by the KCSD.
The release states that the association made a lasting commitment to the safety of Lake Wawasee and all citizens who enjoy the county’s lakes with the donation. WPOA seeks to preserve and protect Lake Wawasee. The strategic goals of WPOA include areas such as boater education and water safety.
The boat is a new Boston Whaler Montauk 190 with a 150 horsepower Mercury outboard engine. It is equipped with all the required emergency police equipment. While the boat will be stationed at Lake Wawasee, the donation package includes a boat trailer, allowing the boat to respond to any lake in the county.
KCSD maintains an active lake patrol program in the county. The patrol program is a cooperative effort between the local lake property owner associations and the KCSD, the release states.
KCSD is a charter participant in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Marine Patrol Assistance Grant. Since 2005, and including the 2018 boating season, the Marine Patrol Assistance Grant has returned $319,000 to Kosciusko County citizens for lake patrol efforts. The grants are part of the larger IDNR Lake and River Enhancement Grant program, funded by annual boat registration fees.
