The Town of Porter Redevelopment Commission was presented Tuesday with $30.7 million in proposed gateway corridor improvements, $19.7 million of which will be sought from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

Commission members took no formal action on the specific application after generally having approved making one in February.

A cloud over the request is whether Porter County will pursue its County Council majority’s intent to withdraw from the RDA if legally possible. Commission president Micheal Genger said despite the uncertainty, the town will go forward.

Town consultant A.J. Monroe of SEH Inc. said a new, iconic entrance near U.S. 20 for the Indiana Dunes State Park south of its current location on Indiana 49 is in keeping with the goals of the Marquette Plan Phase 2 that the RDA was created in part to fund.

Such an entrance would provide the gateway now lacking to direct 3 million annual visitors to the area’s state and federal parks and boost those numbers even more.

New amenities within and near the corridor would benefit both visitors and residents alike, resulting in initial construction employment gains and spin-off economic development, said Monroe.

The new generation of jobs a revitalized area can attract would reflect its improved quality of life: good recreation, good education and a healthy business climate, Monroe added. “I think we’ll find ourselves well-positioned for the future.”

The gateway initiative also is consistent with the town’s own comprehensive plan, said Monroe.

Among the four identified programs and grants to be formally requested of the RDA are:

* Fund a $240,000 “Gateway to the Indiana Dunes” study/plan along 1.5 miles of Indiana 49 to guide the corridor’s development.

* Fund $740,000 in engineering and design for the reconstruction and upgrade of a pedestrian-friendly Indiana 49 from the Indiana Dunes State Park to Interstate 94.

* Fund a $250,000 gateway study of transportation alternatives from trolley to light rail serving the State Park, the Dune Park South Shore commuter station, the joint Porter County/National Park Service visitor center on Indiana 49 and stops along the way.

* Fund $921,250 for engineering and design for Porter’s 3.95-mile leg of the proposed 10 foot-wide Dunes Kankakee hike/bike trail from U.S. 12 to Woodlawn Avenue at Calumet Road.

The above requests total $2,151,250 in year one of the RDA-sponsored projects. In year two, $5.7 million would be sought for construction of the Dunes Kankakee Trail as would $4 million for construction of a pedestrian bridge over Indiana 49 for that trail.

According to Porter’s RDA application, with the RDA currently funding a $50,000 SEH study for Burns Harbor to develop a leg of the Marquette Greenway Trail there, if tied to a Dunes Kankakee Trail, “The Gateway to the Indiana Dunes” will serve as the undisputed first stop for bicyclists and other trail users interested in recreating on Porter County’s extensive system.

Year three of Porter’s RDA request would seek $7.8 million to build the Indiana 49 reconstruction project with upgraded travel lanes and one transit lane, signal modernization, crosswalks, street lights, stormwater conveyance systems and native landscaping.

Monroe said the town will seek 80/20 federal funding for the Indiana 49 engineering/design and actual construction and would reduce the RDA request to the required local-share amount only if awarded.

Monroe said he hopes Porter’s application can be presented to the RDA board for its May meeting but with Porter County’s threatened pull-out, it’s unknown how the RDA would proceed.

Proposed gateway project timelines set this summer as a start date for the year-one projects to be completed next spring; the Dunes Kankakee Trail and pedestrian bridge to be built in 2010 and the Indiana 49 reconstruction set for 2011.

Redevelopment Commission member Bruce Snyder asked if reconstruction of Indiana 49 isn’t a job for the Indiana Department of Transportation, not the town, to undertake.

Monroe said INDOT is responsible for Indiana 49, but why not develop it as a gateway promoting restaurants and tourist attractions? “If we could do a little better, what would it mean to Porter and northwest Indiana? Yes, it’s INDOT’s project but Porter can take the lead.”

What if these are not INDOT’s plans? asked Snyder. Monroe said he believes the state agency will defer to what local communities want.

Redevelopment Commission member Jon Granat stated, “My big question, we’re layout out the red carpet for the dunes. Is there any federal money from the National Park Service?’

Monroe said the case can be made that NPS already worked with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission to build their joint visitor center along Indiana 49 between Interstate 94 and U.S. 20.

Commission member Al Raffin said if the RDA money won’t cover all associated costs for the gateway projects, what are Porter’s other sources of funding?

Monroe said in addition to what’s already been discussed, Porter’s own town redevelopment funds and possibly even a share of Porter County’s proceeds from the previous sale of its county-owned public hospital although to-date no such grant program has been authorized.

After the meeting Genger was asked if the heavy emphasis on tourism would result in lower paying service jobs and even part-time seasonal ones.

He said if the Indiana 49 and U.S. 20 area were reconstructed, that could enhance the Munson Place business/industrial park, vacant but for the visitor center. “Maybe some rezoning could take place there, like for restaurants.” Overall, the gateway plan’s an economic benefit, Genger said. “You can’t just look at the job aspect.”

Although Monroe said SEH has not been hired to conduct the studies outlined in detail in Porter’s RDA application, it identifies the SEH team as doing the work.

Posted 4/30/2009