Porter County residents are invited to an open house Monday evening to help set the direction for the county’s future development.
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The county is in the midst of revising its comprehensive plan with the aid of MKSK Consultants of Columbus, Ohio. The firm has been conducting community engagement for nearly a year.
The comprehensive plan hasn’t been updated since 2001. Industry standards are to be updated every five years.
Known as Elevate Porter County, the initiative is offering a “wellness check” from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at the Porter County Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso. Called Charting Tomorrow Together, the open house event will focus on the county’s “most pressing challenges and brightest opportunities.”
A variety of exhibits and activities are scheduled, and planning department staff will be on hand to engage with residents and hear ideas and concerns. There is much to discuss.
The county has spent the last several years making upgrades to its buildings, such as renovations to the Porter County Jail, Memorial Opera House, and county parking garage, to name just a few. A new county highway garage is nearing completion as well.
A new ambulance contract went into effect at many times the cost of the previous contract, and the West Porter Township Fire Protection District continues to search for ways to better meet and fund the fire protection and ambulance needs of its jurisdiction.
Residents have also staved off the arrival of data centers and a solar farm.
Plans to extend Willowcreek Road south of 700 North live on while the county continues efforts to better fund the maintenance of its 800 miles, and growing, of existing road inventory. The full impact of Senate Enrolled Act 1 on county coffers is still unknown.
“The economic foundations that built Porter County are evolving. The industries that sustained our grandparents have transformed. And while new residents continue to choose our communities, population growth alone won’t guarantee our prosperity,” reads the event flyer.