By VICKI URBANIK

Saying that he’s frustrated by how the county has handled several new developments, Alan Hewitt publicly resigned from the Porter County Drainage Board Wednesday night.

Hewitt, known for his strong advocacy of maintaining rural communities, particularly in his home township of Liberty Township, addressed the Porter County Plan Commission twice Wednesday against two new developments, The Preserve and Timberland Farms. Both developments won the county plan’s approval.

During the Timberland Farms public hearing, Hewitt maintained that the county was in violation of state law because the county drainage board never reviewed and approved the drainage calculations for the new development.

Instead, the drainage board, over Hewitt’s objections, agreed to have the Damon Run Conservancy District oversee the stormwater system.

Hewitt went into technical details of the drainage for Timberland Farms, maintaining that by redirecting water into Damon Run, the development will be adding more water than allowed in the county’s stormwater ordinance.

He said the county should require Timberland Farms to return to the drainage board, but then walked up to Porter County Plan Commission President and Commissioner President Robert Harper and submitted a letter announcing his immediate resignation from the drainage board.

Hewitt, a member of the Liberty Landowners Association, has been on the drainage board for two and a half years.

After the meeting, Hewitt told reporters that there have been several cases that has caused him to be concerned with how the drainage board handles new developments. He said some county officials don’t seem to trust his knowledge about drainage and that they don’t think he’s “smart enough” to question drainage calculations done by the county’s drainage consulting firm, DLZ.

County Plan Commission member Herb Read publicly called on Hewitt to reconsider.

He said Hewitt may be a counter voice on the drainage board, but that sometimes it’s good to have people on boards who present an alternative viewpoint.

Read also said this county needs people to serve on boards who are interested in the county’s affairs and knowledgeable.

Hewitt said after the meeting that he will not reconsider.

Posted 6/26/2008