The Porter County
Board of Commissioners will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. on
Tuesday, June 5 to mark the completion of the renovated Plaza at the Porter
County Government Administration Center, 155 Indiana Avenue in Valparaiso.
Construction on the
redesigned plaza began on September 12, 2017. The new plaza includes a
sloped walkway with lighted handrails that leads to the front doors, which
is designed to be ADA compliant and easier for seniors to traverse. The
walkway includes an underground heating system that will prevent ice and
snow accumulation in the winter months, improving safety and reducing salt
and snow removal costs. Also installed was an underground storage tank to
collect storm water runoff that will be used to irrigate the improved
landscaping. This state of the art storm water system will benefit the
environment and assist the County in meeting its public education
requirements as part of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)
Program.
The new plaza
includes several raised tree planter boxes. The concrete ledges around the
planters can be used as seating during the warm weather months for people to
eat lunch or just relax in the downtown area.
In case of
inclement weather, the rain date for the ribbon cutting will be 4 p.m. on
Thursday, June 7.