VALPARAISO — The Porter County Council on Monday received a $30 million capital upgrade plan in which, Porter County Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center, insists, “We’re addressing needs, not wants.”
Good and Porter County Attorney Scott McClure outlined the plan that addresses overall space needs and facility upgrades and additions — including two new courtrooms — without raising taxes.
The plan’s proposed projects and estimated costs include bridges, $2.5 million; the administrative center plaza, $1 million; Porter County Expo Center, $5 million; North County Complex, $10 million; the downtown courthouse, $5 million; and the old jail building, $6 million.
As McClure explained, the project would be funded through a general obligation bond, with an estimated interest rate of 3 percent and an estimated annual payment of $1.7 million.
While council members, in general, spoke in favor of the proposals, Council Vice President Dan Whitten, D-at large, cautioned about the need for a contingency plan in the event funds are not as plentiful as projected.
Whitten added that the plan offers an “opportunity to fix up what we need to fix up.”
As Good explained, three bridges, one each in Portage Township, Boone Township and the city of Portage, are all well below sufficiency standards. Weights have already been lowered on those bridges as a safety measure.
Work on the administrative center plaza would include making the facility more handicap-accessible, as well as landscaping, a lighted outdoor handrail and an irrigation system using stormwater runoff.
At the Expo Center, which has never been renovated since it was built in 1984, upgrades would include the lobby, interior, bathrooms, carpeting, new painting, new windows and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
The 19,540-square-foot North County Complex, Good reported, would gain another 15,000 square feet of space, under the plan. In addition to moving the Health Department into the facility, the upgrade would increase the clerk's office and storage space as well as increase space in the assessor, probation and prosecutor offices and sheriff prisoner holding area. The proposal also provides a community room for voting and meetings.
The old courthouse “identifies Porter County,” Good said, but it has aging and space issues.
“There’s no place to put anything,” Good told the council, noting the need to upgrade electricity, replace windows, repair water damage, replace carpeting and assess and repair foundation issues.
The old jail building at 154 Franklin currently has another owner, but the County Council unanimously adopted a resolution allowing commissioners to seek an appraisal on the four-story building with a basement. If the purchase went through, Good explained, some offices, including the E-911 center, and records would be relocated there. An additional courtroom would also be part of a build-out at the building near the courthouse.
Good said the commissioners plan to meet with the council in late July to update plans.