By PAULENE POPARAD

For her part, “I feel very strongly about keeping the library in town,” said Porter Town Council member Jennifer Granat.

Tuesday, she said she wants to learn more about the possible threat that a blue-ribbon state study committee might recommend consolidation of the Westchester Public Library with the Porter County Library System. WPL operates the Hageman Library in Porter among its four facilities.

The Westchester Library Board is in the process of developing strategies to raise awareness of the problem and garner support for WPL. Granat offered to obtain more information for the Town Council and bring it back for a discussion at that time.

The Library Board is encouraging WPL supporters to join the Friends of the Library so a database can be assembled to help in future lobbying efforts.

The Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform is charged with producing a final report by Dec. 31 identifying ways to reform and restructure local Hoosier government to hold down property taxes; consolidation of services where feasible is a focus and with township government itself a previous legislative target, WPL believes it’s especially vulnerable now being a township-based library system.

Councilman Paul Childress stated that even if a consolidation is forced upon WPL, it remains to be seen if that automatically would lead to the closing of Hageman Library. Granat said she uses the library often and was part of a group that helped keep it open when WPL was having financial difficulties.

The library lost most of its income for a period beginning in 2001 when its largest taxpayer, Bethlehem Steel, went bankrupt and eventually was sold. Large library layoffs and service-hour cutbacks resulted temporarily.

Animal contract rapped

Childress invited the towns of Chesterton and Burns Harbor to join with him in questioning why their respective taxpayers are charged twice for animal control services provided by the Porter County Animal Shelter.

With Childress opposed, the Porter Town Council approved the 2008 animal-control contract at $4,371 or the same amount as 2007. Vote was 4-0 with member Lorri Wickberg absent.

Granat said the town tried having its own animal-control officer to pick up stray animals and deal with related animal complaints but that didn’t work out.

Childress said town residents pay Porter County taxes which support the animal shelter and shouldn’t have to pay a second contract price, too.

“It’s not just Porter. It’s Burns Harbor and Chesterton, too.”

Similar concerns were voiced Monday by Chesterton Town Council member Mike Bannon, however, their 2008 contract in the amount of $6,076 was approved unanimously.

Back in Porter, town attorney Patrick Lyp said it would be another two weeks before he has a final draft of a proposed 2007 contract with the Porter Volunteer Fire Department. The matter has been continued several times.

Marquette input sought

Consultants with JJR, LLC of Chicago asked the Town Council last night for their input on a unified vision for the Lake Michigan shoreline being developed as the Marquette Plan Phase 2 from Portage to the Michigan State Line. JJR was among those hosting a public meeting for the same purpose at the Porter County Visitor Center in Porter while the Town Council met.

The council agenda listed the Marquette item as a NIRPC representative discussion. The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission is a partner in the Marquette project.

JJR senior urban designer Bradley Winick urged Porter to let his firm know what it wants because draft Phase 2 concepts are being developed. “Make sure we leave here smarter about Porter.”

President Bill Sexton said the council wasn’t ready to provide input last night, but he did note Porter has plans for a hike/bike trail from the existing Prairie Duneland Trail to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore trail system.

Sexton asked if the input of smaller communities like Porter that have lake shoreline property will be weighted as opposed to larger communities like Chesterton with no shoreline.

JJR urban planner Shannon Roberts said, “There’s been no discussion about that.” However, she said consultants are looking at what each community needs. Some communities want no interaction with tourists while others want that opportunity to promote economic development, she added.

Council member Sandi Snyder asked if JJR was working with the office of the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission. “They have some really sharp people in that group.” Roberts said, “I think we do have contacts with them.”

The Marquette Plan will address such topics as economic development and jobs creation, environmental enhancements, trails and water access, water quality and use, the role of tourism in the region’s economic future, and strategies for the futures of U.S. 12 and U.S. 20. Roberts said it’s been suggested that trucks be routed off U.S. 12 with U.S. 20 being designated the truck corridor.

In other business, it was announced that a four-day 150th birthday celebration is being planned around the July 4 holiday next year to celebrate Porter’s sesquicentennial. Committee member Brenda Brueckheimer said they are finalizing the activities and events and then fundraising, a major part of the celebration, will begin.

Brueckheimer is Porter Public Works superintendent. She recapped department activities and asked residents to put grass in bags or cardboard boxes because it takes town crews too long to load it with pitchforks; unbagged grass is also clogging town ditches. Residents should call the Street Department when grass is ready for pick-up.

Park Superintendent Jim Miller thanked Hopkins Ace Hardware for a donation of paint, and the PACT program for providing free labor. Miller said some years PACT workers, who do court-supervised community work in lieu of jail time, have been the equivalent of a full-time park employee.

Tonight at 6 p.m. at the town hall the Porter Stormwater Management Board hosts its second public educational forum on a future stormwater master plan for the community. Residents identified problem drainage areas during the first input forum in September.

Posted 9/26/2007