Chesterton Tribune

 

 

County RDC hears ideas for Liberty Township TIF projects

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

Members of the Woodville Foundation and other residents from Liberty Township gave the Porter County Redevelopment Commission a number of reasons they want to work together in starting a tax increment finance area.

Tim Cole returned to the RDC meeting bringing with him nearly a dozen other residents, a slideshow and a list of desired infrastructure projects that may be possible through the TIF.

“You asked for projects. Here they are,” he said.

The first project request is to extend sewer and water from the hospital node, under Ind. 49 and North Calumet Ave. and then south to the intersection with U.S. 6, creating nearly 50 miles of access to areas zoned for commercial development or institutional. There are already three or four businesses that are waiting for those utilities in the area, Cole said.

The second proposal is to put in about a mile and a half of sidewalk connecting the Liberty Township Elementary and Intermediate Schools, going east and west, to seven nearby subdivisions. It would service approximately 500 different households, providing safety to children from road traffic, he said.

Local engineer Matt Keiser said he estimates the cost for extending utilities from the hospital will be roughly $1.4 million and the sidewalk project would be about $170,000.

Another project Cole asked the RDC to consider is extending sewer and water from Meridian Rd. to CR 700 to provide service to properties with failing septic systems such as the Pines Ski area, extending sewer and water utilities east of Meridian Rd. along the south side of U.S. 6 to the Ind. 49 bypass to accommodate residential and future development, and improve recreational areas.

Cole has pushed for the RDC to revisit discussions on the Liberty Twp. TIF since it was shelved nearly three years ago.

The TIF’s boundaries as originally proposed, start at the Ind. 149 and U.S. 6 intersection, extending east down the U.S. 6 right-of-way. It then widens starting at Meridian Rd., to CR 900N to the north and CR 700N to the south, until it reaches N. Calumet Ave., and then follows the U.S. 6 right-of-way to the Jackson Twp. line at CR 200E.

RDC member Dave Burrus said the inertia to start a TIF in Liberty Twp. was due to “a lack of support” from the community and the Commissioners decided not to pursue it.

Woodville Foundation President Ed Seykowski said there was resistance to the idea of a TIF because it was believed that the schools would lose tax dollars, but attitudes changed after the RDC worked with heads of the East Porter County Schools to protect the schools from being harmed by a TIF.

Seykowski and Cole said they now see TIF as a way to develop the area in a way they think will maintain the character of the Township. Seykowski likened the vision to that of Aberdeen development outside of Valparaiso on Ind. 2, “a perfect balance of commercial and residential.”

“I understand (the TIF plan) is out there. We’d like to bring it back to the table,” Seykowski said. “We think it’s an opportunity to move on and make it a high-end professional area.”

RDC member and County Planner Robert Thompson said he liked the ideas the Woodville Foundation representatives presented but advised them they would need to have the support of the Commissioners before the RDC can put any time, money and effort into planning.

Burrus agreed, “We need to have some assurance before we can proceed.”

The Board of Commissioners is the entity which has the authority to establish the TIF area through a declaratory and a confirmatory resolution. The County Plan Commission is another body which would vote on it.

Thompson said one reason some officials may not be ready to support TIFs in the unincorporated areas is because utilities aren’t owned by the County but by conservancy districts. Unlike towns and cities, the County “won’t see any of that revenue at all” if utilities are extended.

RDC member Don Ensign asked if it would be possible to have a workable agreement with conservancy districts. Jack Barkow, president of the Damon Run Conservancy District in Liberty Twp., responded it may be possible but the conservancy district still has to pay its debt obligations.

Cole said that Liberty Twp. Trustee Beth Underwood is in support of the projects but was not able to attend the meeting Thursday morning. Two of the three Liberty Twp. Board members are also behind the plan, he said.

RDC President Ric Frattacia said he favors the Foundation’s ideas and said that the Liberty Twp. TIF will remain a regular agenda item.

The RDC meets on a quarterly basis with the next meeting tentatively scheduled for June.

Aukiki Park request

Before hearing the Liberty Twp. residents, the RDC heard a partnering request from County Parks Superintendent Walter Lenckos for Aukiki Park which is in development one mile north of Kouts on Ind. 49.

Lenckos asked the Commission if it would be willing to contribute funds to add acceleration and deceleration lanes as a safety enhancement to the entrance of the park. The price tag would be $110,000 according to an engineering estimate, Lenckos said.

Burrus said that the RDC will consider the request and added that this is the first time someone has come before the Commission requesting funding assistance.

“There is going to have to be some discussion. This is a new role for us,” Burrus said.

Lenckos thanked the Commission and shared that East Porter County School Corporation and the Town of Kouts have agreed to be partners in the parks’ development. Kouts will be moving water and sewer out to the site at a new well.

Aukiki will have sports fields used by Kouts and Morgan Twp. Schools as well as other local kids in Porter County, Lenckos said. He is eyeing the use of inflatable domes to keep sports going year-round.

Waste affecting Valpo Lakes

In another comment from the audience, Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed President Walt Breitinger expressed concern about nearly a dozen older homes in North Valparaiso and southern Liberty Twp. that have never had proper septic systems.

These home sites have cesspools with raw sewage that is flowing into lakes in the north part of Valparaiso, Breitinger said, raising the possibility of pathogens in the water that children swim in.

He asked to the RDC to help in finding solutions to the problem.

 

Posted 3/18/2016

 
 
 
 

 

 

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