By PAULENE POPARAD

The Porter Park Board added its name Tuesday to the growing list of municipalities and groups supporting the proposed Dunes Kankakee Trail.

Porter County tourism executive director Lorelei Weimer said the concept of a multi-purpose trail from Kouts/Hebron to the Calumet Trail near Lake Michigan is gaining momentum and considered a state priority.

"Especially in Porter County, there is no north/south route," said Weimer. Secondary routes into adjacent communities exist or are planned off the main Dunes Kankakee path, which generally is anticipated to parallel Indiana 49.

But not in Chesterton. Weimer said it would be difficult and dangerous to build a trail in such a congested area so alternative routes there are being considered.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to redo the Indiana 49 bridges over U.S. 12, U.S. 20 and the South Shore Railroad next year, said Weimer, but the plans are too far along to modify them will full pedestrian amenities. However, INDOT has agreed to install barriers to protect walkers and cyclists.

Grants are being lined up and a route analysis and engineering review need to occur, but enthusiasm remains strong, said Weimer. "Thus far the support has been tremendous. A lot of people are just dying to have that north/south route."

Park Board president Becky Maranto asked Porter Town Council liaison Todd Martin, "So far, the town is 100 percent behind this?" Replied Martin, "Absolutely."

The Park Board's vote endorsing the trail was unanimous with member Rondi Wightman absent.

In other business, Martin encouraged the Park Board to confer with the town attorney and director of engineering over whether to accept a five-acre park offered by developers of the 190-home The Trails of Porter subdivision. The board has balked because it is adjacent to an active freight railroad at Wood Street and South Mineral Springs Road.

Martin said there are ways to develop the parcel short of a children's playground or ballpark. "I think you have more options to take it than not take it." Even if the park declines, the Town Council may want the land, said Martin.

On another matter, Martin said he's purchased the Town of Porter Parks.com domain name for the park's updated website. He recommended focusing on the end goal the park wants to achieve through the website, and the dual resident/tourist audiences it will serve.

Park superintendent Jim Miller presented a list of eight projects totalling $19,609 the Park Board could forwarded to the Town Council with a request for funding from the CEDIT discretionary account.

The top priority are five projects, namely, repairing the defective concrete on the Hawthorne Park community center front porch; repairing the Hawthorne basketball court; replacing the community center storage curtain; replenishing Fibar mulch at Hawthorne's playgrounds; and repairing the broken John Deere tractor.

Non-priority projects are a new equipment door on the Hawthorne maintenance building, a new backstop on the Hawthorne practice baseball field, and a fence at Dune Meadows Park.

Miller said the park needs to make its CEDIT request soon because there's not much left in that account. At its last meeting the council nearly cleaned it out in a loan to the General Fund to finance daily operations because Porter hasn't received any property-tax revenue yet this year due to delayed tax billing.

In other business, Miller listed recent improvements made at Porter Cove Park. "It's looking so much better," said Maranto. "The drainage (improvement) has made a world of difference. It did the trick."

Miller also said baby-changing stations have been installed at the community center, and he and the Park Board reviewed the recent successful 4th of July celebration at Hawthorne. Park administrator Stephanie Miller said she's holding the holiday weekend open for next year's festival by declining other reservations.

Jim Miller said he's anticipating total 2009 rental income will be well into $30,000 or a substantial improvement over 2008.