(La Porte, IN) - Plans for another lodge for use by the public on Stone Lake in La Porte were unveiled Monday. 

 

The construction will happen sooner than expected because of a $500,000 contribution by Ken and Karen Bowers, retired longtime residents of the city now spending their winters in Florida.  The couple has also committed to providing an undisclosed amount of funds to help with future maintenance.

 

A ground breaking was planned at the site along the southern edge of Stone Lake close to the public boat launch across from Lions Field, but threatening skies moved what turned out to be a celebration inside Cummings Lodge.

 

Mr. Bowers thanked Mayor Tom Dermody, the park board and everyone else involved in the plans and deciding to name the facility “Bowers Family Lodge.”

 

“To us, this is just another great step and it is a big step in the future of the new lodge on Stone Lake in our memory,”  Bowers said.

La Porte Parks Department Superintendent Mark Schreiber said the projected cost of construction is from $2.5 to $3 million.

 

Tentatively, plans call for the lodge to contain 6,800 square feet of space, which will accomodate as many as 250 people for weddings, family reunions and other gatherings or activities.

 

Schreiber said Cummings Lodge, built in 1966 on the opposite side of Stone Lake with a capacity for 88 people, will remain available for similar, smaller scale functions.

 

The design has not been finalized but the lodge will have a rustic look on the outside and inside to reflect its natural surroundings.

“We want people to see the trees.  We want people to see the lake.  Even when you’re inside  it, we want you to be able to feel those amenities around you,” Schreiber said.

 

He said the new lodge is in response to public demand for a facility accommodating larger crowds especially when calendar dates are booked for gatherings at the spacious municipally owned Civic Auditorium.

 

Attempts will be made to secure outside sources of revenue such as grants to help pay for construction to reduce as much as possible the amount the city will be asked to finance.

 

“We’d like to lower the cost as much as we can for the taxpayers,” he said.

 

He said money from fees for use of the lodge could also go toward the financing.

 

A new lodge was already included in the park department’s new five year master plan when Bowers approached several months ago with a desire to leave something in his will to do something for the parks.

 

Schreiber said consensus was reached on Bowers helping to pay for a new lodge to build upon the success the city has had in promoting and improving the offerings at its lakes and parks more in recent years to improve quality of life for residents and attract visitors.  Both sides were also unanimous on where it should be placed.  Dermody called the monetary gift “amazing.”

 

“We’re just excited they wanted to invest their funds, their money into the city of La Porte,” Dermody said.