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Letters to the Editor: Pavilion Center approved under highly suspicious process

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Pavilion Center approved under highly suspicious process

The proposed new banquet center at the Porter County Dunes State Park beach was approved under a highly suspect process. The DNR contract was handed to politically connected people by our Republican Governor Mike Pence.

The DNR’s original call for plans was specifically for “adaptive reuse” of the existing 85 year old Pavilion with no mention of a second, huge construction project on the beach. The DNR altered their original proposal seemingly to fit what the developers were interested in building.

Bulldozing has begun and a restroom building is underway--made to seem unduly necessary by extremely poor project planning with the jackhammering of the old bathrooms before any new ones were built. Thus, the public must now use port-a-potties.

Secrecy, altered plans, violation of DNR procedures and special consideration for politically connected people are not the norm for Porter County. This “Mistake on the Lake” should be stopped. Something stinks and I don’t think the smell is coming from the port-a-potties.

Sylvia Graham

 

The “sweetheart partner” of the Indiana Department of Resources, Pavilion Partners LLC, is renovating the Pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park into a private facility, and plan to build a new convention/banquet facility next door, on the beautiful lakefront of Indiana Dunes State Park.

They are building new restroom/shower facilities next to the Pavilion, giving them more room inside the pavilion for their commercial endeavors. They plan to take over a public building, remodel it to suit their needs, and then build a new, huge structure for their commercial use.

In March, a PP spokesperson stated the project would cost 3 to 4 million dollars. In three months, these costs have ballooned to 6 to 8 million dollars, according to the DNR. This is not a partnership or charity case that is being undertaken to benefit the public. In fact, the public, iconic Pavilion will be converted to a private enterprise.

According to the State website, “everyone will be welcome to eat meals in the restaurant or rent the banquet center for weddings or other event.” Any money PP spends would be money that would have to be spent on any private business. However, they will be spared the cost of having to purchase land, or pay taxes on one of the most desirable of lakefront locations in the Midwest, at a cost of $18,000 a year and 2% of profits, for 35 to 65 years.

A favorable Economic Impact Statement by the State notes, “A lessee or concessionaire would be a private business operation to operate the Pavilion for a restaurant and rental for group sales that would allow for alcohol to be served. There is no comparable business from Chicago to Southwest Michigan that serves food and alcohol in a restaurant within or on Lake Michigan. No impacts should be affected, to other ‘like’ businesses along the Lake Michigan waterfront, by allowing alcohol to be served in this facility.” The statement ignores impacts to restaurants or banquet facilities in the region, without this prime location and financial advantages.

Ryan Richardson of PP went before the Porter County Alcoholic Beverage Commission, describing the business as a Bar and Restaurant. Alcohol will be very important to its success, with serving options available on each of the floors.

In 1990, alcohol was permanently banned at the park, because of problems with violence and gangs. Now, they would re-introduce it, in pursuit of profit, disregarding history.

Julie Roesler

 

Several organizations have come out against the construction of the conference/banquet center including the Sierra Club, the Hoosier Environmental Council, the local Audubon Society in NWI, Izaak Walton League and others.

These organizations care about conservation, not profits. Most are not against the rehabilitation of the original pavilion, but are against new construction on the beach.

The fact is the park is encumbered by LWCF (Land and Water Conservation Fund) rules from the NPS since they accepted these funds in the past. Converting the land to private use is illegal.

Dan Bortner admitted at the forum on April 15, 2015 that the “project would have never happened, because they knew there was opposition to any construction on the beach.” Why did he know that? Because of the unsuccessful attempt to build a hotel on the beach in 2006.

Government should be transparent, and the DNR should be making the best effort to preserve these natural areas, not selling them out to the highest bidder.

The Indiana Dunes are known as the “birthplace of ecology” in America. Since the early 1800’s it’s been under attack from commercialization and industrialization. These unique lands drew scientists from Chicago to study it since the early 1900’s.

The state claims to not have the money for the pavilion, yet has $25 million to invest in a new inn at Potato Creek State Park. It seems the state can’t allocate money for existing buildings, but wants to build new ones it won’t be able to afford either.

They say that it will occur on existing concrete and asphalt. All one has to do is ask, “What is under that concrete?” The answer to that is natural beach sand. The proposed site of the conference/banquet center has been washed out before by the Dunes Creek.

The local Audubon Society in NWI has stated the windows will kill many birds. The migratory birds utilize the shoreline and the stars for navigation. The additional lights for the conference/banquet center may distort those migratory paths. There are over 70 species of migratory birds that utilize the park. The additional lights will also destroy a unique view we get of the Northern Lights and Milky Way for the local astronomers here. Nearby communities have received grants for lower street lighting to keep this a dark sky area.

The DNR should call themselves the Destruction of Natural Resources, since they certainly are not committed to preservation of these lands and have sold their soul out to the highest bidder.

Ed Dixon

 

More backroom deals! The construction at Indian Dunes State Park is another example of government officials making a secret back room deal for the benefit of a few who are politically connected.

In front of nearly 300 people a DNR official admitted that since 2012 they deliberately kept their plans for a huge banquet/conference center on the beach secret because the public would be so outraged that the DNR would not be able to get a signed contract.

One of them arrogantly stated, “We cannot make decisions by committee,” Now we find out that the contract violates federal law and still construction continues!

Please, write the DNR, Governor Pence, sign a petition, talk to your friends, join DunesAction.org.

Let’s send the message that this “committee,” opposed to the Mistake on the Lake, is organized, effective, and powerful!

Pam Rearick

 
 
 
 

 

 

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