(La Porte, IN) - A roughly $30 million plan has been developed for replacing much of the aging streetscapes in downtown La Porte.
Solutions are currently being sought for funding the growing cost of maintaining the brick sidewalks, brick planters, trees, and other streetscapes that were installed in during the 1990’s. Craig Phillips, the city’s Director of Community Development and Planning, said the streetscape replacement, once it begins at some point, will be paid for by the city through a combination of borrowed funds and grants.
He said the work will be done in phases as funds are available, probably over a five to ten year period within the district, which encompasses 140 parcels.
“It’s a big area."
The plan is heavily focused on replacing most of the bricks with less expensive and not as costly to maintain concrete.
For many years, property owners in the city’s Business Improvement District have paid for maintenance from its annual $85,000 budget. The funds are generated by a special assessment levied on their property tax bills. However, the money is not going as far as it used to due to inflation and higher cost maintaining the streetscapes from the effects of time.
“That’s nowhere near enough money to actually cover that maintenance,” said Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership.
The options being explored range from increasing the tax levy and disbanding the district once its 10 agreement with the city expires.
“We all want the same thing. Infrastructure that’s in better shape and a sustainable plan and resources to maintain that over time,” he said.
Already, a decision has been made not to fix any more of the 138 brick planters damaged when periodically struck by motor vehicles. Beginning in the spring, two damaged planters along Lincolnway at Jackson St. and Michigan Ave. will be replaced with much shorter ones made from concrete.
For drivers, Phillips said the concrete planters will be like running over a standard sized street curb with damage restricted to the plants.
“It’s just not going to cost as much to repair. That’s what a lot of cities are going to now,” he said.
More perennials will also be planted to reduce the $30,000 expense paid for by the BID every spring.
“The annual plantings are the largest single cost for the BID district. On top of that, when a planter is destroyed, the rebuilding of that is a cost that’s extreme as well. That is outside of their budget,” Cook said.
The plan calls for every planter to be replaced, eventually, and some of the brick sidewalks to be replaced and made from decorative stamped concrete.
Cook said updates are also planned for the outdoor electrical system, which has many outlets that don’t always work when needed for special events and lighting especially during the holidays. Other work includes replacing a number of trees put in along storefronts that have died from reaching their shorter lifespans.
“These are all issues that have to be addressed,” he said.
