By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WINONA LAKE – Pier requirements and usage was the topic the Winona Lake Town Council spent the most time talking about Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Resident Leanne Sargent Tharp said she owns a home on 4th Street. When her family bought the house last year, they requested and received a pier slip.

The town of Winona Lake provides pier slips that may be rented by individuals to place a pier and boat on the canal.

Tharp said they met all the stipulations and did all the work through a company Gene Seiman, town building commissioner, recommended. It was mid-summer when Seiman brought to the attention to one of Tharp’s friends the pier appeared to be a little long. Tharp said were trying to abide by the requirements set forth by the town.

She said she got a letter saying the pier would have to be shortened from about 23 feet to 14 feet. Tharp voiced her concerns and was told a decision wouldn’t be made until April.

Tharp brought the issue to the Council because, if there was a vote on the length of piers, she said she would have voiced her concern. Secondly, she asked if they could be grandfathered in or given a spot that would be more advantageous to them.

What has happened over the years is the piers have gotten longer and the boats have gotten bigger, Town Manager Craig Allebach said.

Resident Jerry Nelson said he owns property around the canal. When he originally came to Winona Lake, the piers were rented out as a single boat spot and the piers were parallel to the sea wall, so they didn’t hang out into the middle of the canal. He said, originally, the rules were one boat, one pier spot.

Now, there’s piers with two or three boats on one pier, he said. He said it’s more disruptive to people on the other side of the street  because “the more boats you have there, the more people you have there.”

He suggested the town should go back to a one pier spot, one boat rule.

Allebach said he believes, by town ordinance, Seiman has sole decision-making on the issue.

Town attorney Adam Turner said when the pier rental program started, the Council passed an ordinance kind of laying out the program and the rules would be established and administered by the building commissioner.

The town doesn’t want to make decisions in a vacuum, Turner said. Allebach has created a committee to discuss issues including pier permits so Seiman isn’t left to make those decisions alone and they’re going to be made in a collective matter, Turner said.

Tharp said she thinks the rules should be spelled out in writing and having more people involved  is a great idea.

No decision was made Tuesday.

In other business, Council:

• Learned about “Winona Happenings,” which are a Limitless Park fundraiser at Hacienda Thursday; an open house at Winona Lake Community Church at 4 p.m. Monday; and a pro basketball game at Grace College MOCC at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24.

• Heard from Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. CEO Alan Tio about KEDC’s housing, talent recruitment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

• Approved the purchase of a Kawasaki Mule ATV from Lake City Honda for $20,930. Police Chief Joe Hawn said the old one the department sold last year at auction was 11 years old and the turning radius wasn’t very great. The department thought it needed to be replaced. The monies from the auction were used to purchase another vehicle.

• Fire Chief Kevin Gelbaugh said after the recent winter storm, about eight people spent about 40 hours shoveling out fire hydrants.