ARPA Committee Hears Highway Department Funding Requests, WLCA – InkFreeNews.com

The members of the Kosciusko County American Rescue Plan Act Committee are drawn from Left County Councilwoman and Commissioner-elect Sue Ann Mitchell, Commissioner Cary Groninger and County Council President Mike Long, along with County Administrator Marsha McSherry. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times Union

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY – Two new grant applications were submitted to the Kosciusko County American Rescue Plan Act Committee on Wednesday, November 13, totaling more than $400,000.

Because the county may not have as much money left — and all ARPA dollars must be under contract by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026 — it may need to reallocate the dollars into other funds if the district commissioners and the provincial council agree with the committee’s advice.

Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty requested $128,467 for resurfacing CR 200S, from where the bridge project ends just east of SR 15 (Warsaw city limits). The money would also help repaint the railroad crossing markings. The KCHD replaced the bridge this year. The county portion of that road hasn’t been paved in a while, while the city paved their portion of CR 200S several years ago.

Mike Wyrick, Webster Lake Conservation Association Inc., requested $336,000 for the Conservancy District project, though he told the committee he would be happy with whatever they could give to the project.

The Webster Lake dam and associated land were acquired by property owners in the 1950s and the levees reconstructed. Before that purchase they formed the WLCA.

According to information from Wyrick, the dam area was sold in the 1960s to developers, who sold it for building sites. The money from the sale was used to pay for repairs to the dam. There were no zoning regulations in the county until the 1970s, and private homes were built on the lots in the 1960s.

In 1996, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources entered into an agreement with WLCA stating that the DNR was responsible for rebuilding or repairing the outlet control structure (the dam). WLCA owns the dam’s metal control structures and, under the 1996 agreement, was solely responsible for maintaining the lake’s water level under the supervision of the DNR.

In 2011, the DNR secured repairs to the dam, but left out one or more previously known deficiencies, as noted in engineering inspections conducted by DNR engineers both before and after the 2009 and 2017 renovations, according to Wyrick’s information.

After the DNR’s technical inspection in 2017, the DNR changed the dam’s designation from “significant hazard” to “high hazard.” The dam was rated “conditionally poor” by the DNR during the 2009 and 2017 inspections.

The DNR informed WLCA that it was responsible for making repairs to the entire land dam area. WLCA disagreed and the two parties took the agreement to the Circuit Court and the Court of Appeals.

On May 6, 2021, during the appeal, the DNR terminated the 1996 agreement.

WLCA demanded that the DNR make the necessary renovations, but the DNR refused. Both parties ended up in court again.

In 2024, WLCA agreed to commit efforts to establish a tax-funded conservation district to assume responsibility for current and future reconstruction and repairs to the dam, other than those designated by the court as its responsibility fall from the DNR.

An engineering firm was appointed to work with WLCA. A quote for the engineering work alone is $62,200, and WLCA has already paid $68,000 for that. There is $15,000 in attorney fees; another $30,000 in expert witness fees; another $30,000 to $50,000 for luxury dam inspection. Wyrick said a lot of that is already covered because WLCA has its own money, which has been spent.

But prior to the creation of the Conservancy District, Wyrick said hydrological and geotechnical studies are needed to be completed. The hydrological investigation is estimated at $186,000, while the geotechnical investigation is $100,000.

“Those are the things I’m looking for,” he said. “I know your money has been spent, I know you’re trying to figure out what to do and I know the number I put on my application probably said, ‘There’s no way we’re going to do that.’ I just look for what I can find. I’m raising money wherever I can get it, to try to get what I need. Whatever you can do is appreciated.”

Commissioner and committee chair Cary Groninger pointed out that the ARPA funds must be spent by the end of 2026, but must be allocated and contracted by the end of this year. If the province would give WLCA some money, Groninger asked Wyrick if he could have them under contract by the end of the year.

Wyrick said Wednesday he has $123,500 under contract. With a call to the engineers, he could have $286,000 more under contract.

Groninger also pointed out that the committee was only an advisory body for the provincial government and the commissioners.

There was also some discussion about using the Economic Development Income Tax or Rainy Day Funds to give to the WLCA, or using EDIT and Rainy Day Funds to pay for the Justice Building parking lot work instead of ARPA- money and the ARPA funds to WLCA.

After the conversation with Wyrick, the committee discussed what should be done with the two requests. Council President Mike Long said he was a “shoe-in” for the CR 200S request. Councilor Sue Ann Mitchell said the province needed to try to move forward and there were some options.

“At this point, we really don’t know what our remaining funds are, even if we think we do,” Mitchell said.

Long said if they move forward with the two projects presented Wednesday, the parking lot would be a trade-off. The parking lot could be paid for from EDIT, since it was budgeted for this year anyway.

Mitchell ultimately made a motion to approve $128,467 for the highway project and $186,000 for the WLCA. The commissioners and council will vote on the recommendation at an upcoming meeting.

The next meeting of the ARPA Committee is on December 18 at 1:00 PM.