By Teresa Auch Schultz Post-Tribune staff writer
The Porter County Council made a decisive decision about its future with the Regional Development Authority, but now several local projects up in the air and local officials concerned.
The RDA had promised $1.8 million for Valparaiso's ChicaGo Dash, the express bus service for commuters to downtown Chicago. Stu Summers, executive director of the Redevelopment Commission, said the RDA had already paid $1.1 million for the project, which went to purchasing the buses and building the parking lot at the city's terminal.
The group is still set to pay $700,000, however, money that is supposed to go toward streetscapes around the terminal, including turn lanes and bike racks.
Portage is in the middle of a long-term plan to buy land along Burns Ditch for another marina. Money for the initial land acquisition came from the RDA, but the city was waiting to buy the rest from businesses. That project has been said to be a 20- to 30-year long plan.
Getting money for that and other projects on its own could be hard for individual Porter County cities and towns, U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky said. Almost all federal grants come with a local match, usually 10 percent to 20 percent of the total cost. For smaller individual projects, cities can usually come up with that match. However, for larger projects, such as major infrastructure jobs, most cities won't be able to afford the local match on their own.
The decision will also likely affect any other regional collaboration projects, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said. Other groups might be hesitant about joining with Porter County after seeing it pulled out of a similar arrangement after a few years, Costas said.
The mayor called the decision "disconcerting" and said he was surprised they didn't listen to all the government officials and business leaders who spoke in favor Wednesday night of the RDA.
Lake County Councilman Tom O'Donnell, D-Dyer, expressed doubts about the vote.
"I don't know, legally, how they could do that," he said. The development authority was established by the Indiana General Assembly.
The 4-3 vote decision was "shame from a regional standpoint when it's really just getting started," he said.
But, in the end, he's not worried about the impact.
"I don't think it will have an effect because I don't think it's an action they can lawfully take."
O'Donnell's fellow councilman expressed sympathy for the council members who voted against county membership.
"They're responding to their constituents," said Councilman Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point. "I guess time will tell if it was a good thing or bad thing."