Winamac park board discusses memorial bench, outdoor instruments

The Town of Winamac Board of Parks and Recreation discussed a variety of topics during their meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Rick and Brian Grisel were present at the Aug. 5 parks board meeting to discuss the memorial bench for Ricky Shinn. On Sunday, Jan. 26, 1997, Ricky Shinn, Jason Bartolac, Jordan Burton and Brian Grisel were traveling to Bass Lake to play ice hockey when their 1987 Ford Ranger lost control. Shinn, Bartolac and Burton passed away as a result of the accident and Brian Grisel was taken to LaPorte in critical condition. He advised that a memorial bench had been made and installed several years ago at the Presbyterian Church to honor Ricky Shinn. However, that church has now closed and the property has been sold. The bench was removed and was recently recovered by Brian Grisel. Brian had contacted the Shinn family to see what their wishes were and they requested that the bench be placed at the Winamac Town Park. Rick said that they were both present at the park board meeting to seek authorization for this to both honor the request of the family and to honor Ricky’s memory. Park board President Renee Calabrese acknowledged that for the past couple of years they have been putting a limit on how many benches are allowed to be installed in the town park.