By Sean McNab
Star Staff Writer

CEDAR LAKE - At a July 11 work session, members of the Plan Commission tweaked plans to develop the old Salesian building at 12611 Cline Ave.
     Requesting a rezoning from residential R-1 to Planned Unit Development status, owner Damir Missbrenner plans on constructing a Golden Age Retirement Home for senior citizens needing daily living assistance.
     "This retirement village will encompass 36 acres of land inclusive of 175 living units. Living arrangements will include apartments, townhomes and single-family detached homes, all of which will be enclosed as a gated community," said Earl Goldberg, the consulting engineer for the project.
     Because it is such a large development, members of the commission questioned whether this would have an adverse effect on traffic along Cline Avenue.
     "Most of the residents living there will be in their mid-70Ís. Most of them will have minimal use of vehicles," claimed Missbrenner.
     Town Building Administrator Lowell Eloe had concerns that the present plan could pose problems with parking availability.
     "This proposal hints at the fact that there possibly might not be enough parking for visitors," Eloe said. "If people cannot park on the driveways due to congestion, the only other alternative is to park on the street. Being that there is a cafeteria in the center of the project which requires service trucks to bring food in, there may not be enough space for them to get in if both sides of the street are used for vehicle parking."
     The Salesian property has been vacated since the late 1970s with over a million dollars in tax liens accruing due to lack of use. Sergio Urquiza purchased the property at the town hall on Jan. 14, 2000, only to sell the rights to Missbrenner approximately a year later.
The rezoning of the property will be up for concept approval on July 18.

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By Sean McNab
Star Staff Writer

WINFIELD - Members of the town Water Board faced a packed house Monday night as they gave a final presentation on the possibility of bringing Lake Michigan water to the Trees subdivision.
     Steve Daulton, a representative of H. J. Umbaugh & Associates and chief accountant for the project, explained the two-fold financing process for subsidizing the project.
     "The first step will be to create a Water District supported by tax bond issues of $350,000," Daulton said. "This will pose an increase of $218 per home in property taxes. The second step will be financed through revenue bond issues of $450,000 that will include monthly fees and up front costs. Both bonds will run for a term of 20 years."
     Residents will have the option with the revenue based bond to pay a one-time fee of $3,030 or an initial fee of $270 with a monthly fee of $27.50 for the next 19 years.
     "If this proposal passes, residents within the Trees subdivision will have to pay the property tax increase whether they take into water system or not," said Water Board President Rick Anderson. "What people need to remember is that there are 48 vacant lots within the subdivision. Once these lots are sold this tax will decrease."
     In order for the Indiana-American Water Company, Inc. to supply Lake Michigan water to the town, 85 percent of the homeowners must agree to tap-in, equivalent to 148 of the 175 total lots.
     Many residents of the subdivision are skeptical of the proposed funding mechanism for the water system and want other solutions to the neighborhood water problem.
     "In the best case scenario where residents pay the one-time tap-in fee of $3,030, residents will have to pay approximately $15,000 over the next 20 years," said Trees resident Mike Tisma. "I can guarantee that I could increase the value of my home substantially more by taking that money and adding on to it."
     Board members have repeatedly stated at meetings that the value of homes within the subdivision could increase from $7,000 to $10,000 by bringing in Lake Michigan water.
Tisma also explained that the reason so many people feel they need Lake Michigan water is that they are not educated on getting the most out of the well system that is presently used within the Trees subdivision.
     "Residents need to know the proper storage techniques when using a well system. There is presently an organization out of California called Triple O ( www.tripleo.com ) that has been working with water purification for almost two decades. This organization could fix any water problem for substantially less than what this present project is calling for," Tisma said.
     Tisma believes that the reason some homeowners have an insufficient water supply is that they are not using the proper techniques to find where water is and to utilize it effectively.
     "A lot of people need to find storage tanks and then clean them out. If people did this they would probably have the best water in the town. Also, other problems that could stem from lack of water is that the pump they are using in the well is pumping faster than the pump that is bringing in the water. Numerous residents have bought restricter valves that have eliminated this problem."
     Additional costs for Lake Michigan water will be a $1,400 connection fee for homes within 100 feet of piping with an additional $10 to $15 increase per foot for any home over 100 feet. Water meter installation will be an additional $200 with an average monthly residential water bill of approximately $25 for those using 5,000 gallons per month.
     IAWC has made a guarantee to the residents of Trees that if homeowners tap into the project before its completion, the $1,250 tap-in fee will be waived.
     "The problem that we have before us is not unsolvable," said Tisma. "We just need to educate ourselves to find the best possible avenue financially. Scaring people into buying into Lake Michigan water isn't the solution," said Tisma.
     The Water Board will meet again Aug. 13.

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