The town of Porter received good news that it’s in line to receive a $746,868 federal grant to address old leaky sanitary sewers in subdivisions off Waverly Road north of U.S. 20.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, announced Tuesday that Porter’s project cleared an important hurdle as it was approved by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.
The neighboring Duneland community of Chesterton also had $250,000 tentatively awarded for a proposed streetscape and trail project that would link the Duneland YMCA Healthy Living Campus with the downtown.
The next steps involve the U.S. Senate’s review and then President Donald Trump to sign off.
In the past, approval by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee usually meant that the grant would go through, said Michael Barry, Porter’s director of development/building commissioner.
“Really hoping that it goes through. That would be really nice,” Barry told the Town Council at Tuesday’s meeting.
If the grant gains final approval, Porter will provide matching funds for a $1.1 million project involving the clay pipe sewers in the Dune Forest, Waverly Heights and Dunes View Manor subdivisions. Barry said it’s likely that the interior of the sewers would be relined.
The sewers were installed 80 to 100 years ago, so when it rains, the groundwater leaks into them.
As a result, Porter, which sends its sewage to Chesterton’s water treatment plant, pays a higher price because of the extra water leaking into the sewers.
Barry said that Porter saved a significant amount of money when it had the old sanitary sewers relined in its downtown years ago.
Porter also submitted a proposal for a $4.5 million grant that would help pay for a main sewer line extension north to the Porter Beach area, but that was not approved.
In other business, the council is permitting Bike the Dunes, which rents bicycles at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, to place a temporary sign advertising the business on a median at the entrance.
Kevin Comerford said he recently purchased the bicycle rental operation and renamed it. He said the rental van’s location near the Dunes Kankakee Trail is hard for tourists to see from Ind. 49.
The council agreed and allowed Bike the Dunes to put its sandwich board sign in the town’s median near the visitor center entrance when the rental business is operating.
Council also appointed two Chesterton High School students, Aubrey Forsythe and Finn Duffie, to serve on the town’s Environmental Sustainability Commission. They are replacing Devin Throw and Isabel Durkin, student members of the commission who have graduated.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
