By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A StoryWalk should be coming to Pike Lake in Warsaw, and a new sculpture could be coming to the city’s Central Park.

At its meeting on Tuesday, April 16, the Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board approved collaborating with the Warsaw Community Public Library on the StoryWalk.

WCPL Director Heather Barron brought the request before the board.

StoryWalks allow people to read a couple pages of a book at a station before moving on to read the next few.

Barron said she had talked with Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer and Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer about a location, with them settling on “between the Firemen’s Building at Pike Lake and the start of the boardwalk.”

Barron said there would 19 stations installed. Most if not all would have two pages of a book on angled frame on a post. She said any extra space could have advertising or information on the parks’ department.

The cost is “just under $6,000,” said Barron.

The Friends of the WCPL will pay for $3,000, with the library seeking a Kosciusko County Community Foundation grant to cover the rest. The parks’ department will handle installation and maintenance.

The library plans to change out the StoryWalk book every few months. Schaefer said plans now are for the project to be installed either in fall 2024 or spring 2025.

Parks’ Board member Noemi Ponce suggested bilingual books be used for Spanish-speaking park visitors to enjoy them as well.

Art Project

The board also heard from Warsaw Public Arts Commission Chair Suzie Light.

One of the commission’s projects for the year is hopefully bringing a new sculpture to Central Park.

The commission sent out requests for proposal and chose Gail Christofferson of Ohio to create the piece named “Reflection.”

It’s to be an approximately 10-foot-by-10-foot-by-10-foot domed, partially open structure with “panels of mosaic glass,” said Light.

“Community members will engage in placing pieces of glass in that mosaic,” she added. “The artist will then take those panels back to her studio in Ohio, laminate them, and they will be installed as the roof and sides of this structure.”

Light said the “large” art piece will have a bench under it.

She suggested the sculpture be put at the northwestern corner of Central Park near the parking lot along Canal Street.

Light said the public could put glass in the piece potentially at Third Friday on June 21. She said the commission planned to have the Kosciusko Community YMCA, Cardinal Services and maybe Kosciusko Senior Services have their patrons be involved in creating the piece as well.

Light ultimately merely asked the board for it to work with the commission on the project, which it agreed to do.

She noted people could donate for the piece by giving to the ArtFULLY Warsaw fund at the KCCF.

In other business, the board:

• Accepted a $500 donation from the Lake City Lions Club of Warsaw. The club gave the money to the parks’ department to thank parks’ employees for repairing buildings the club had given to the department years ago.
• Heard from Schaefer that 17 tickets are still available for the mother-son dance at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3.
• Heard from Schaefer that Mantis Skate Park will be opened for the season at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18. There will be goodies given away that day to kids, including an autographed picture of Tony Hawk.
• Recognized Schaefer with “The Inspirer Award” for March. She was chosen for that by her peers for creating “a positive and supportive environment for (her) department,” said Plummer. “She inspires others through her actions, accomplishments and her character. Her positive can-do attitude is so beneficial to our team,” he added.

The board’s next meeting is 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at Warsaw City Hall.