U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., today announced that he has secured $20 million for the Marquette Plan, his proposal to reclaim sites along the Lake Michigan shoreline for public recreational use.

The funding, secured in the Energy & Water Appropriations Act of 2006, will give the Marquette Plan a head start for the design, construction and completion of specific projects along the lakeshore, Visclosky said.

The state law that created the new Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority cites the lakeshore development as one of the projects that the RDA is expected to financially support. The others are enhanced air, rail, and bus transportation and other economic development projects.

“The pieces are in place to successfully invest in Lake Michigan’s shoreline,” Visclosky said in a statement. “We have the support of all five lakefront mayors. We have significant financial support at the federal level, and we have the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA), which is a permanent local funding source that was created specifically to match federal investment in lakeshore and other economic development projects. The fact that we have identified funding sources for the Marquette Plan means that we’ll be able to hit the ground running when it comes to initiating work on specific projects.”

John Clark, RDA chair, said in the statement that Visclosky’s announcement “shows the momentum for economic development in Northwest Indiana.”

Portage Mayor Doug Olson, who is one of the five mayors to commit to the Marquette Plan, has plans for shoreline development in his city. In the statement, he said he sees Visclosky’s funding announcement as a sign of the positive impact Lake Michigan can have on Northwest Indiana’s quality of life.

“Whenever a city wants to undertake a new project, the first question that is asked is, ‘How will the project be funded?’ With ... Visclosky’s securing support for the Marquette Plan at the federal level, and a local funding source already in place through the RDA, local governments in Northwest Indiana know we have support when it comes to investing in our lakeshore.”

The $20 million secured by Visclosky for the Marquette Plan would be “cost shared,” with 65 percent coming from the federal government and 35 percent from a non-federal funding source, such as the RDA.

“Our location on Lake Michigan will be more valuable tomorrow than it is today. In order to take full advantage of the economic opportunities and quality of life issues available to Northwest Indiana, we must invest in the lakeshore,” Visclosky said.

The Marquette Plan, which has been agreed to by the mayors of Portage, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond and Whiting, calls for 75 percent of the lakeshore, from Illinois to the eastern edge of Portage, to be open for free public use. The plan also calls for a minimum setback of 200 fee for projects on the lakefront, with a continuous biking and walking trail.

Posted 11/7/2005