A planning grant will be submitted to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs for the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District project. Approval to apply for the grant was made this morning by Kosciusko County Commissioners.

Shannon McLeod of Priority Project Resources, Greensburg, is the grant writer for the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District project. She said the county must serve as the grant applicant.

As part of the grant process, a public hearing was required, which was advertised and held at this morning’s meeting. Jones and Henry Engineers was chosen as the engineering firm and will conduct the preliminary engineering report for the water utility project. The engineering project will cost $34,000, of which $30,000 will come from the grant and $4,000 from Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District.

After county attorney Mike Miner reviews it, and once submitted, it the grant awards process will take 30 days. If the grant is awarded, a study will be conducted, which takes four to six months to complete.

“It’s pretty straight forward,” said McLeod. “We should be under contract by July 1.”

The project consists of a water utility preliminary engineering report for the sewer district, which affects 200 homes in its service district.

In county highway news, the engineering firm USI was assigned as the engineer for a bridge project. The bridge is located on CR 300 North over the Tippecanoe River.

The bridge will be widened and rehabilitation will be conducted, which will also include the addition of a bicycle/pedestrian path. Construction is slated to begin June 2014 and take about two months to complete. The city of Warsaw will pay for half of the widening project. (See related story)

In other news:

• An inter-local agreement between the county and the city of Warsaw for repaving Fox Farm Road last July was approved at an additional cost of $3,400.
• May was proclaimed Motorcycle Safety Month. Ty Marshall, a member of ABATE, was at the meeting to present the proclamation.
• A petition to vacate a public way in Seward Township in Silver Lake was approved. The petitioner, Jeremy Scutchfield, wants to put an addition on his house due to his growing family. His attorney, Jennifer Carnes, said the road was platted but never used.
• A petition for Jerri Flowers was continued for another month. Flowers wishes to vacate a public way in Prairie Township.
• Kevin Planck, general manager of Kosciusko Area Bus Service, presented the first quarter claims report. The total expenses for KABS were $173,859, between Jan. 1 and March 31, and operating income was $4,565 and there were 11,569 passenger boardings.
• Appointed Curt Hermann to the county redevelopment commission.
• Approved a contract with Maximus, which conducts the cost analysis report for the county, at a cost of $6,300 per year.

Commissioners are president Ron Truex, Brad Jackson and Bob Conley. The next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7.