With the dismissal last week of a lawsuit brought by the Liberty Landowners Association, challenging the re-zone of land at the corner of Ind. 49 and U.S. Highway 6, Porter hospital is now free and clear to begin the process of building a new facility on that site.

And the Town of Chesterton wants to help Porter hospital in any way it can, especially in the matter of treating its sanitary sewage.

At the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, Member Jeff Trout, R-2nd, noted that the new facility will have a Chesterton address, that the property itself is only 1,800 feet from its corporate boundaries, and that the town’s wastewater treatment plant is conveniently located four miles from that property, only half the distance, in other words, separating the property from the Portage wastewater treatment plant, whose services hospital officials have indicated they intend to use.

Porter hospital, in short, would stand to cut the cost of its infrastructure substantially simply by aiming it north to Chesterton rather than west to Portage, Trout said. Lower infrastructure costs, in turn, could mean lower healthcare costs to the community.

There is another issue too, noted Member Sharon Darnell, D-4th, a mechanical one in addition to the geographical one. As matters stand, Porter hospital would have to run its sanitary flow through the privately-held Damon Run conservancy en route to the Portage wastewater treatment plant. Not only is the cost of private service likely to be higher than that of municipal service, she said, the conservancy would probably have to “up-size” its lift stations to accommodate the hospital’s flow, adding one expense on top of another.

The advantage to Chesterton residents, Trout said, would be the stabilization of sanitary sewer rates, since the more customers paying for that service--particularly large ones like a hospital--the lighter the burden falling on any given customer.

“We have always wanted to be a good neighbor to Porter hospital,” Darnell said. “We extend our hands and will do anything we can do. Our doors are open.”

“We’re open to all discussion,” Trout said, and added that Darnell and Town Engineer and Interim Superintendent Mark O’Dell would be pleased to make a presentation to hospital officials.