On the sunny afternoon of July 1, La Porte residents, first responders, and municipal staff gathered in The Reading Wifi Garden of the La Porte County Public Library for a momentous occasion. Mayor of La Porte Tom Dermody and Indiana First Congressional District Representative Frank Mrvan announced that the City of La Porte has received a Community Project Funding grant of over $959,000 from the federal government. Dermody announced that the grant will help fund the improvement of the sewer infrastructure underneath Indiana Avenue, one of La Porte’s main streets. Dermody is pleased to participate in this partnership and appreciates Mrvan’s efforts in procuring the funds for the city.
“We’re working together to improve lives for our citizens, and that’s what government is all about,” Dermody said. “Congressman Mrvan and his office have been fantastic and we’re very appreciative of all they’ve done. I want to extend a special thanks to Congressman Mrvan’s director of projects and grants Liz Johnson Avery for managing the day-to-day details of this project. The new infrastructure will not only benefit our residents but also the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP), which is led by Bert Cook. Every day we're focused on making La Porte the place to be, and it wouldn't happen without the efforts of our department heads. We’re going to do what we said we would and we’re excited for what’s to come.”
The segment of the combined sanitary and stormwater sewer system that runs underneath Indiana Avenue from Lincolnway to Kingsbury Avenue will be replaced with separate sanitary and stormwater sewer systems. This is expected to greatly reduce the risk of blockages and flooding. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) had made plans to repave the aging Indiana Avenue/U.S. Highway 35 and proposed that the La Porte Wastewater Division collaborate with them on the project and improve the sewer infrastructure. Jerry Jackson, one of the speakers at the event and wastewater director for the City of La Porte, appreciates the cohesiveness of the collaboration on this project and expects that the infrastructure improvements will have a lasting impact on the city.
“Since our current infrastructure is very old – it was installed in the 1910s and 1920s – some of our residents have experienced flooding and other issues,” Jackson said. “The new sanitary sewers, stormwater sewers, and water mains that we’ll install will help them out with that. The new trunk stormwater sewer will also be the basis and lynchpin of future projects. Although we’ve been planning this project for a long time, I don’t think the general public knows that this big project is about to begin. This event has been an opportunity to get the word out and express our gratitude for the grant.“
Mrvan views this endeavor as a unique opportunity to focus on contributing to the betterment of La Porte.
“This infrastructure project is a collaborative effort between federal, state, city, and county entities coming together to better the City of Laporte,” Mrvan said. “This project will help ensure that the sewers operate smoothly, ensuring that La Porte remains clean and safe for its residents. La Porte is the land of limitless possibilities and this project will also provide the city with an infrastructure that can support the new businesses that come here. I think Mayor Dermody put it best in his speech: this project isn't about political party affiliation. It's about improving the infrastructure of the city of La Porte so that we can bring people together. We are focused on accomplishing this and making La Porte a better place. It will be a win-win for everybody.”
Nick Minich, another speaker at the event and city engineer for the City of La Porte, shares Jackson’s views and is optimistic about the benefits that will stem from this infrastructure project.
“This betterment project, as INDOT would call it, is the first of several that will ultimately benefit about 30% of La Porte,” Minich said. “We were going to have to contribute about $3.5 million in utility funds to this betterment project, but thanks to the grant, we can pay for the project and have some funds left over. We can now put that extra money towards some of our other projects. We're very excited to be able to work with both Congressman Mrvan and INDOT. It's a great partnership that will help us to use taxpayers’ dollars efficiently.”
You can learn more about the City of La Porte’s upcoming projects and events by visiting cityoflaporte.com. Please visit laportepartnership.com to learn more about LEAP and its events and programs.
