North Webster Town Council members Lish Strombeck, left, and Dave Waliczek listen as Gwen Fuchs offers an update on the planned “Jay Day” memorial celebration, which will take place Aug. 28. InkFreeNews photo by Keith Knepp.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

NORTH WEBSTER — In an expected move, the North Webster Town Council approved the vacation of a a public right-of-way in the parking lot of the North Webster Community Center. This paves the way, literally, for the building of outdoor pickleball and basketball courts in part of the parking lot behind the NWCC. The new athletic facilities are being funded through a $242,500 donation given to the NWCC by the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation in memory of Jon Sroufe, who was active in both organizations and in the town of North Webster.

The council also heard from Gwen Fuchs regarding the previously discussed “Jay Day” memorial celebration. During its April meeting, the council Agreed to honor Jay Montalbano, a beloved UPS delivery driver who died in March. A bench utilizing private funds will be dedicated in his honor and a proclamation declaring Wednesday, Aug. 28, Jay Montalbano Remembrance Day. A celebration and dedication of the bench will take place at 6:30 p.m. that day.

Council President Dan Thystrup updated the council on the ongoing North Webster Trail project. He noted two bid proposals were submitted for the first stage of construction. Those proposals were forwarded to the Indiana Department of Transportation for review and approval. He hopes to have a response from INDOT by the end of the week so that the project can continue to move forward. Thystrup noted that Sept. 1 is the final deadline for all proposals to be finalized.

The next meeting of the council will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, inside the NWCC. The public is invited to attend.