(La Porte, IN) - There’s an effort to have the La Porte High School football stadium designated as a historic landmark in the state.

 

The purpose is to secure the future of Kiwanis Field in response to discussion in recent years by the school board on whether to renovate the aging stadium or if it would be more cost effective to build a new facility.

 

Preserve Historic La Porte is collecting signatures on a petition and started the process of seeking historic landmark status for Kiwanis Field from the state.

 

Claudia Winter, secretary of the local preservation group, said Kiwanis Field would be protected as a historic landmark and qualify for pursuing outside sources of revenue like grants to help with renovating and maintaining the facility.

 

“We would like to make it a self-sustaining project,” Winter said.

 

Preserve Historic La Porte has also offered to pay for a feasibility study to determine the cost of renovating Kiwanis Field to help in the evaluation process.  So far, the school board has not accepted the offer, she said.

 

Winter said demolishing Kiwanis Field, which is just a short walk from the high school, would be the loss of a more than 70 year community tradition.  She said another purpose of the petition drive is to make the public aware Kiwanis Field is now endangered.

 

“Most people know the structure.  They drive past. They know it.  They love it.  They’ve been there and they are not aware that it’s something somebody wants to get rid of,” Winters said.