Blue Öyster Cult Booked, Rail Study Funding Sought
Contract agreements topped the agenda for the first meeting of 2014 of the Warsaw Board of Works and Public Safety. Among those was an agreement for Blue Öyster Cult to perform in Center Lake Park this summer.
The classic rock band was supposed to perform last summer but one month after the announcement was made, a scheduling conflict forced the band to cancel its local concert. The cost of this year’s performance is $20,000, which is $4,000 less than the 2013 contract. Staci Young, recreation director for the city of Warsaw, said the band was also willing to negotiate a stricter cancellation clause meaning they can only cancel the performance “for emergencies or acts of God.”
Blue Öyster Cult is set to perform on June 13.
Also approved today were the contract renewals for code enforcement officer Larry Clifford and maintenance agreements for the city parks department.
In another matter, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer asked for permission to approach different entities to help fund the $67,500 portion that the city is being asked to pay for a federal rail study. “Mayors along each whistle stop have been charged to raise the money,” Thallemer told B.O.W. members Charlie Smith and Jeff Grose. “Everyone I’ve talked to sees the benefit in it, so rather than the city doing the whole thing, I will want your permission to solicit funds for the study.”
Fort Wayne has already approved $200,000 toward the $2 million study being completed by the Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association. Thallemer intends to solicit funding from organizations such as OrthoWorx, the town of Winona Lake and Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation that will also benefit from passenger rail service.
The B.O.W. meets the first and third Fridays of each month at 10:30 a.m. in Warsaw City Hall. The board consists of Thallemer, Smith and Grose.