The Porter County Government celebrated a groundbreaking for its new Center District Garage on the morning of Wednesday, August 28.
This garage was originally developed by a team of three commissioners and one engineer in 1961. However, it’s been a long time since the Porter County Government has looked into making changes to the garage.
Porter County Commissioner Barb Regnitz recalls visiting the garage for the first time shortly after she was elected. She had been invited by County Commissioner Jim Biggs of the North District to scope out the area.
“This all started for me right after I became commissioner,” Regnitz said. “The first thing I did after speaking with County Commissioner Biggs was take a tour of this building (and the sign shop and salt barn which have since been demolished). It’s been a wonderful journey to get to where we are today. Everyone has really worked well together to get us to this point and it’s exciting to see us break ground after close to 2 years of needs analysis and design.”
Regnitz also shared her appreciation for the Porter County Council for supporting the development financially and behind the scenes.
“Without the council, this development wouldn’t be possible,” Commissioner Regnitz said. “We had a meeting in January where our estimate was higher than what we originally anticipated by six million dollars. We received the blessing from the council, and Commissioner Biggs has been a huge supporter as well.”
Biggs has been supporting the development since the beginning. He’s been pleased to witness how much progress has been made in a short amount of time.
“I think back to about a year and a half ago from all the trials and tribulations that we went through and the questions we had to answer,” Biggs said. “It’s a big deal. This is an $18 million development for a property we haven’t touched in almost 50 years. I think the first thing on most of our taxpayers' minds is the roads. This helps us stay in front of that.”
Economic development takes a driven team to put all of the pieces together, especially when the space has gone so long without much attention. Biggs is grateful that the new Center District Garage development includes a team of excellence in terms of engineering and architectural design.
“The council’s cooperation and the team that we’ve put together with the Skillman Corporation, MartinRiley, and A & Z Engineering have been key to making this happen,” Biggs said. “They asked the tough questions, we had the answers, and now we’re here today.”
Porter County Highway Supervisor Jim Polarek is looking forward to the convenience of having all of their resources in the same facility.
“It’s really going to help out here by having the equipment and keeping it clean,” Polarek said. “Just last year, I recall there was a dump truck with a frame rotting and we had nowhere to wash it. Having the mechanics all in one area as opposed to three different locations is going to be a huge asset for us.”
The garage will be located at 1955 IN-2 in Valparaiso. Each of the Porter County Commissioners were presented with a plaque at the ceremony as well.
For more information on the Porter County Government, you can visit its website.
