Pictured, from left, are board members Doug Ruch, Joe Cazier and Kevin McSherry. This was Cazier’s first meeting as a board member for the Kosciusko Area Plan Commission.

By Maggie Kenworthy
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — During the Kosciusko Area Plan Commission meeting held today, July 1, the commission showed their support for the proposed Polywood economic development plan in Syracuse.

The town of Syracuse was requesting a signature from the Area Plan Commission on a resolution for the Polywood economic development plan. The resolution states that the expansion coincides with the development plan for the town of Syracuse under the Kosciusko County comprehensive plan.

This resolution will be included in the town’s request for economic funds and the creation of a TIF district related to the Polywood expansion.

Attorney Steve Snyder, representing Polywood, spoke briefly to the board regarding the expansion project. “The proposed expansion is a significant project and we will be looking for ultimately rezoning that parcel to an I-2 to allow the construction of about 400,000 square-foot facilities. This is all part of that process.”

Board member Bob Conley made the motion to accept and sign the resolution stating, “this is something the commissioners have discussed and are in favor of.” The board unanimously approved this motion.

Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation CEO Alan Tio was present at the meeting to discuss the broadband initiative. KEDCO wishes to partner with the APC and other local governments to achieve a Broadband Ready Community certification.

Tio said that the certificate acts as a “signal to broadband providers that we are serious about working with them … it would indicate to providers that we have an approval process for when entities want to provide (broadband).”

Since this certification deals with broadband fibers and not communication towers, Planning Director Dan Richard stated that the planning commission won’t need to amend much at this time. Richard said that he would work on drafting up a resolution regarding this to present to the county commissioners.  

The next Kosciusko Area Plan Commission meeting will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5. 

In other matters:

• Charles Haffner has resigned as a board member. Joe Cazier was appointed by the town of Syracuse to take his place.
• The board gave final plat approval for Scott Anderson to subdivide a property on the south side of CR 700N, west of CR 300E in Syracuse.
• A preliminary plat approval request made by Deborah Meyer for a property on the west side of EMS C29 Lane and south of CR 450N in Warsaw was continued. The board is waiting on additional feedback from the surveyor and county health department.
• The board granted preliminary plat approval for David and Holly Cesaretti for the subdivision of a 20-acre tract of ground located on the west side of Packerton Road, north of CR 400S in Warsaw. A house was already built on the proposed second tract of land, but a misunderstanding caused the subdivision to go unrecorded and a building permit was never obtained.
• The board granted preliminary plat approval for Leon Brenneman for a properly on the south side of Old Road 30, east of Davilla Court in Warsaw. The request was made to reconfigure the property lines of two lots.
• A rezoning petition made by Cynthia Brown for a property on the north side of Crow Road, west of East Wawasee Drive in Syracuse was continued.
• The board approved a request made by Randy and Connie Norman two vacate two platted alleys off of South CR 1000W in Sevastopol. These alleys were never developed and similar alleys in the neighborhood have already been vacated.  This recommendation will now go before the county commissioners.
• The board approved to vacate a right-of-way known as Cherry Tree Drive, off of River Chase Drive in Warsaw. The right-of-way was never developed and is not traveled. This recommendation will now go before the county commissioners.