The town of Porter took another key step toward extending its Waverly Road trail northward by buying a property at the corner of U.S. 20.
Porter’s Redevelopment Commission on Tuesday approved a resolution to acquire the land for $176,500.
Porter can finance the property purchase through a grant the town received years ago from the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority for adding onto the Dunes Kankakee Trail. Michael Barry, the town’s development director/building superintendent, said the town, before this purchase, had around $570,000 left in grant money.
The .62-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Waverly Road and U.S. 20 has been owned by Nice & Easy Gas & Mini Mart, Inc. since 2001, Porter County land records show.
Barry said that the landowners contemplated building a combination gas station/convenience store, but the property wasn’t quite large enough.
For the past few years, the parcel had been used as an unofficial used golf cart lot.
Barry said the corner lot will become a key location for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross U.S. 20.
There would be an angled crosswalk, and the area is already wired to accommodate pedestrian signals, Barry said.
The hope is that the town can eventually extend the Waverly Road trail all the way to Porter Beach.
For now, the town is concentrating on adding to the Waverly Road section between the Orchard Apartments and U.S. 20.
The trail would be on the west side of the street and then cross over, just south of Pat’s Liquors.
During the Town Council meeting, Council President William Lopez read a letter from 4-year-old Averie Falls that stated: “Dear Porter, please put a sidewalk on Waverly Road.” Her mother, Haley Solar, explained that Averie decided to write the letter after reading the book, “Corduroy Writes a Letter”.
Councilwoman Laura Madigan, D-1st, who also serves on the redevelopment commission, said that she loved Averie’s letter and that its arrival at Town Hall was “serendipitous.”
“It’s a slow process but we’re working on it,” Madigan said.
The Redevelopment Commission also approved $45,000 to be used by Porter’s Volunteer Fire Department to hire part-time firefighters to work between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The town first hired part-time firefighters to work during the summer season last summer. Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig Jr. said he needed the help because the number of calls the town handles has been increasing in recent years, especially during the summer with visitors to the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
