Local officials ask Porter County council to reverse decision on RDA

By Joyce Russell, Times of Northwest Indiana
joyce.russell@nwi.com

PORTAGE | Standing inside the pavilion at the Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk site of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, officials from five northern Porter County communities Monday afternoon called on the Porter County Council to reverse its decision to pull out of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

The RDA, they said, provides opportunities for Porter County in terms of improving quality of life -- boosting economic development and providing jobs -- that might not otherwise be available.

The Lakefront Park and Riverwalk -- constructed with $9 million in RDA funding -- is just one example of what the RDA has done for Porter County, they said.

"This is not only a benefit to Portage, but to all of Porter County," said Portage Mayor Olga Velazquez, referencing the park as a quality of life amenity that helps attract businesses to the county and, in turn, provides long-term jobs. National Park Service statistics indicated that for every $1 spent in development at a park such, $4 is brought into the area by visitors.

"Economic development happens in cities. That's where quality of life is important," added Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, adding it is a "modest investment" equal to about $2 per month per resident that is creating results. Valparaiso has received $1.8 million for its Chicago Dash program which, he said, fits well within the primary goals of the RDA by providing transportation to Chicago enabling residents to "connect to jobs."

Costas also said that regional development and vision can "achieve greater successes than acting alone."

For T. Clifford Fleming, a lifelong Northwest Indiana resident and Burns Harbor Town Council member, the RDA provides "significant capitol and expertise to have excellent projects built" in the region. Those projects not only improve quality of life, put provide the amenities that keep the Region's children in the Region once they have grown and are own there own.

"I like the RDA being the focal point. They have the expertise to make sure the dollars are spent wisely," said Fleming, who's town received a $50,000 grant from the RDA to study a connection to the Marquette Trail.

Porter Town Council President Michele Bollinger, whose town is submitting an application for $19 million in RDA-funded projects, said the bipartisan group is standing behind the RDA because of the amenities it can help fund.

Chesterton Town Manager Bernie Doyle joined the group, saying his Town Council is also asking for the county council to reconsider its decision.