Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Board tables Izaak Walton League fee appeal over public access questions

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

The Porter County Stormwater Advisory Board wants to have a better understanding of how accessible the Izaak Walton League Porter County Chapter’s properties are to the public as they consider reducing or waiving the Stormwater user fee.

The board at its meeting Monday voted 5-0 to table the League’s request for an appeal on seven parcels in different locations throughout Pine Twp. and gave the IWL up to 90 days to provide details on public access on those lands.

Chapter President Jim Sweeney said five of the parcels have conservation easements with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or a combination of the DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

While the parcels are in the private hands of the League, Sweeney said the long-term goal is to have “seasonal access for the public.” The League is seeking funding for signage, digital maps, parking spaces and trails and applying for more grants.

“Other options are available but it’s up to us to raise the money to do the work,” Sweeney said.

Once further development takes place, the League intends to make outdoor and educational programs available for residents. One parcel would give access to the east branch of the Little Calumet River. Some parts of the property would still be restricted to only prairie and wetland restoration, Sweeney said.

Board member Matt Keiser raised the question of whether the parcels are accessible to the public as that component would weigh on the board’s decision.

“That’s a big part of what we’re looking at,” he said.

Last month the board approved a reduction for the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, another non-profit organization dedicated to land conservation, from $2.75 an acre to a rate of $1.40 and is making a recommendation to the County Stormwater Management Board, made up of the three County Commissioners and County Surveyor Kevin Breitzke, to set a new fee for properties with protected land and public easements.

A few of the League’s parcels are being charged the agricultural rate of $2.75 per acre annually or the residential rate of $120 per year according to the tax code, said County Department of Development and Stormwater Management Director Robert Thompson.

According to the docket the board received from the Department of Stormwater Management, the League’s fees total to $724.60 on about 120 acres.

The docket also stated the reason for the appeal is that the parcels are part of the Wetland Reserve Program.

Sweeney clarified, as he did for the Chesterton Tribune on Monday, that none of the properties have been enrolled formally in the WRP, but it is a possibility for the future.

The “impetus” for the Stormwater Management Board is water quality protection and the IWL Chapter works to restore woods, prairies, and wetlands that clean water before it eventually leaves the property, Sweeney said, which is the reason for the appeal.

The board voted 5-0 on the motion to table, requesting more information be given for each parcel. Board member Greg Quartucci asked that the League include how it manages each property.

Board members absent were Jeff Good and Scott Severson.

The next meeting for the Stormwater Advisory Board is set for Monday, Sept. 12. President Jim Polarek said the board will now be moving to monthly meetings instead of bimonthly.

 

Posted 8/10/2016

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

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