By PAULENE POPARAD

It’s a misunderstanding that will cost the Porter Redevelopment Commission more to build an aluminum pedestrian bridge over the Little Calumet River bringing the total price to $167,900 rather than $156,650.

Town engineer Warren Thiede told the commission Tuesday that it is an additional $11,250 for the vertical rail pickets members prefer to deter children from climbing on horizontal bridge rails. At its May 13 meeting the commission was led to believe there was no difference in cost.

Gator Bridge initially was awarded the contract and still will be the low bidder receiving the job. Echo Bridge had bid $179,878 and Contech Bridge $229,960.

The bridge installation and abutments will be bid separately with construction slated for later this year. The town received an approximately $300,000 grant for the 80-foot-long bridge that eventually will be part of the planned Orchard Pedestrian Way hike/bike trail from Woodlawn Avenue to U.S. 20 along Waverly Road. The bridge will be built west of Waverly south of Interstate 94.

In light of the unexpected price hike, the Redevelopment Commission chose pressure-treated yellow pine rather than hardwood for the deck boards. Vote was 4-0 to accept the amended bid with Micheal Genger absent.

Also Tuesday, vote was 4-0 to restore to the town’s tax increment financing or TIF allocation area seven parcels totalling 53.819 acres that were removed April 22 by the commission. The parcels were pruned because their current assessed valuation is less than the base year assessment of March 1, 1989 used to create Porter’s TIF district in 1990. The adjustment will neutralize the parcels’ property-tax loss to the town for future general assessments.

No public comment was heard in support or opposition during a public hearing on the TIF-parcel restoration. No commission discussion preceded the vote.

June 24 the commission will conduct a public hearing on adding five new parcels to the TIF allocation area along the U.S. 20 corridor totalling approximately 117 acres to capture future property taxes generated by new improvements on them.

Commission president Bill Sexton reported that the town received its $749,416 TIF tax draw from Porter County for the year 2006 bringing to about $2 million the balance in Porter’s TIF fund. He said the county is one year behind with 2007 TIF money yet to be paid out.

In other business the Redevelopment Commission unanimously OK’d a $40,000 loan made at the request of Porter Stormwater Management Board president Edward Pilarski. He said his board will be able to repay the money by the Dec. 31 deadline; member Bill Cantrell said there is $69,000 in the stormwater fund with at least $40,000 more anticipated as income this year.

Pilarski said the loan would allow his board to authorize work to begin now on the Johnson Street drainage project, which would alleviate longstanding flooding in the area. Although it’s only one of 19 problem areas identified around town, “It’s a start,” commented Pilarski. Other smaller projects are planned this year, he added.

On another matter the Redevelopment Commission authorized Thiede to develop an estimate to upgrade electrical service to the east side of Hawthorne Park. Sexton made the request on behalf of the Park Board, which has asked the commission to pay for the upgrade since the park is in the TIF district. The project could cost about $12,000.

New commission member Trevin Fowler asked how often it works cooperatively with the town of Chesterton. Sexton said currently both are working on a connection along Jackson Boulevard between Chesterton’s leg of the Prairie Duneland hike/bike trail and Porter’s Brickyard Trail, the latter slated for groundbreaking later this year. Previously the two towns coordinated drainage work on Woodlawn.

Sexton said the projects went well and he looks forward to new opportunities of cooperation.

Posted 5/28/2008