Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer administers the oath of office to Rick Packowski. This is Packowski’s first full term as a board member. (Photo by Deb Patterson)

Fribley Field on East Market Street will be getting one if not two new additions in the upcoming years.

Carl Sowers, Young Tigers Football, recently presented a request at a meeting of the City of Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department.

Sowers reported Lowe’s has offered building materials to erect another building on the south side of the property, a carbon copy of the existing building. A breezeway connecting the two buildings will be constructed as well. The shed presently on the site will be given to the parks department and utilized for storage. The project was approved.

A request to have a Jumbo Tron event for a Notre Dame football game was approved for the Young Tigers. Sowers noted it will be scheduled for September or October. Costs for the event are covered. A donation of $209 from concessions from the first event was received by the park department.

The final request, one that will take place in two to three years, was installation of lights, for night games. Sowers and several others reported there would be one night game per week, with games being over by 10 p.m. This will give the young players the experience of playing under the lights, as in high school.

The project is projected to cost $100,000. It was stated 98 percent of the lights would shine on the field. The four light standards would be 35-feet from the ground. He was positive the project could be funded through grants and donations.

Park board members encouraged Sowers to present a project overview at the February or March meeting, including continued financial responsibility for electricity costs..

Diane Quance, board member, suggested it be neighborly to contact the neighboring church with the plans.

Jo Pachkowski with Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitors Commission, presented concerns and offered potential financial support.

Pachkowski asked the board to consider changing wording on welcome signs in the parks. “The first line says ‘Park Closed,'” she said. Another area was conformity of signs throughout the parks.

Larry Plummer  Jr., park superintendent, indicated it has been cost prohibitive to erect signs of the same material originally used. Less expensive material has been used, but in several areas these signs were destroyed as quickly as installed.

Plummer will get an estimate of the number of signs needing replaced to conform with others and check on the wording of park entrance signs.

Concern over enforcement of park regulations was also raised. It was noted there was one individual who writes ordinance violation tickets in the park, but that park employees also have that authority.

Pachkowski suggested board members look into the faux or synthetic ice for a year-round ice rink. She noted this is becoming popular to install at homes and come in sections. Regular ice skates can be used.

She reiterated there are funds available for some of these projects through the KCCRVC.

During business matters, Plummer noted the Young Tigers donated $2,169 to the park department from proceeds of the concession stand during the light display. The money will be used to replace and purchase new lights for next year.

Other business included Rick Pachkowski taking the oath of office, Bill Baldwin re-elected board president and Steve Haines as vice-president.

Mayor Joe Thallemer also presented a brief review of the Buffalo Street Project. He noted there is a July 1 deadline to extend bonding for that area. Soil borings are needed to determine the type of development at the old American Water facility. Plans are for the development to interface with the park and lake. More detailed information will be formulated.