County Redevelopment Commission approves CR 1300N project – InkFreeNews.com

Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty discussed a highway project during the Nov. 14 commission meeting. InkFreeNews photo by Madison Hart.

By Madison Hart
Ink-free news

WARSAW – The Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission approved the 1300N Corridor project during a meeting on Thursday, November 14.

The committee heard from Crystal Welsh that the public hearing on the CR 1300N project received positive feedback. This concluded the investigation and the committee approved the project.

The committee also heard from Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty about another project that could use TIF dollars. This highway project would relocate South CR 700W from SR 25 to West CR 700S in the Mentone Cooperative. Moriarty said this is a heavily trafficked area that hasn’t been updated in 12 years. He said the highway department has a cap of $250,000 so the road to West CR 600S can be paved. To update the road all the way to West CR 700S, Moriarty recommended hiring a contractor, but warned it would be double the price. Committee member Joni Truex suggested adding the $500,000 to the 2025 spending plan.

The committee then discussed the 2025 spending plan, which must be submitted by December 1. The spending plan included TIF areas, the Claypool drainage project and incoming revenue estimates. The committee approved the spending plan with the addition of $500,000 for the highway project and the amount for Levinsons’ Leesburg TIF. The committee discussed other potential projects but decided to include only what it was confident about and make changes to the spending plan for new projects later in the year.

In other matters the committee is:

• Approved the meeting dates for 2025, changing the January meeting to January 9.
• Discussed establishing a TIF in Leesburg with the idea of ​​possible water infrastructure projects.
• Agreed to allow a TIF with an impending expiration date to expire due to no new projects.
• Decided to postpone the discussion of the 2025 targets at the January meeting.
• I thanked Truex for her time on the committee and wished her the best of luck in retirement.
• Heard from a surveyor who said he is looking forward to working with the committee on an upcoming Claypool project.
• Was reminded that the commission must elect officers in January.

The next committee meeting is Thursday, January 9 at 1:30 p.m.