The Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission board will see a new face at their meeting this week. The Porter County Council appointed Chesterton attorney Mitch Peters to the PCCRVC board at the start of Tuesday night’s council meeting with a 7-0 vote. The council made the decision based on Peters’ involvement in the community and his dedication to tourism in Porter County.

“I think he’d be a great choice,” said Council President, Dan Whitten, D-at large.

The council tabled their appointment to the tourism board at their reorganization meeting in January due to confusion over whether they were allowed to appoint a Democrat or a Republican. Nominations at that meeting included Candace Shawn and Donna Werner. Also mentioned was outgoing member David Canright, who had previously served as the Council’s appointee and most recently as a Commissioners’ appointee.

Council Member Sylvia Graham, D-at large, said the council was happy to receive so many nominee applications which show many people have a strong interest in being involved with county tourism.

The council also appointed member Laura Blaney, D-at large, to the Porter County Redevelopment Commission by a 7-0 vote.

Also tabled from the January meeting, the council voted in Graham 4-3 as the council appointment to the Northern Indiana Transportation Commuter District. Whitten and Graham along with fellow council members Rita Stevenson, D-2nd and Marylyn Johns, D-4th, voted for Graham while Blaney and Karen Conover, R-3rd, voted for Bob Poparad, D-1st, who also voted for himself. Poparad expressed interest in being appointed to the NICTD board since the South Shore Line runs through his district.

The council also approved appointments for the Economic Redevelopment Commission in Portage and Valparaiso. Michael Scott has been appointed to the Portage EDC and Gary Bradley to the Valparaiso EDC.

Council liaison appointments to county boards and organizations were also established Tuesday. Members made their own appointments to the liaison position they wished to serve.

“Let’s get out there to see what is going on and bring it back to the club,” Whitten said.

Whitten placed himself as liaison to many boards regarding county courts such as Prosecutor, Public Defender, Juvenile Detention and Juvenile Probation.

Johns, who works as a clinical manager for the Visiting Nurse Association Hospice Center, chose to be a liaison for entities such as the Porter County Health Department, Emergency Management Agency, and Porter-Starke. Blaney appointed herself liaison for many of the county’s tourism sites such as the Porter County Expo Center and the Memorial Opera House as well as the PCCRVC board.

The council also approved a $1,500,000 request by the county commissioners and the drainage project committee for the countywide comprehensive drainage study. Of that money, which comes out of a county economic development income tax fund, $340,090 will be used for aerial mapping and topography. Project Manager Dave Burrus told the council he plans for the mapping to take place in March or early April.

“This is something that needs to get done,” said Whitten.

The drainage project committee will look for ways to prevent drainage problems in the future throughout the county.

Posted 2/24/2010