The town of Porter wants to install a kayak launch, featuring a floating dock, on the banks of the Little Calumet River underneath the Waverly Road Bridge.
The Porter Town Council Tuesday approved a contract, not to exceed $10,000, for the Butler, Fairman & Seufert, Inc. consulting firm to handle the federal and state permitting process for the project.
Brian Bugajski, director of parks, said that he needs professional help with the permits. He said the town will pay for the permits out of its park donation fund.
The kayak launch will cost around $20,000 to build and could be completed by the fall. It will add an attraction to Hawthorne Park.
Bugajski said that when the new Waverly Road Bridge was built, just north of Hawthorne Park, in 2024, there was a curb created underneath to better facilitate a kayak launch.
Porter’s kayak station on the Little Calumet River will be located between the Indiana Dunes National Park launch at the Bailly Homestead and one on Shirley Heinze Land Trust property near St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
“I am so excited that you’re moving forward on this. Thank you so much for not dropping the ball on this project,” said Councilwoman Laura Madigan, D-Ward 1.
Councilman James Burge, I-Ward 4, asked Bugajski if he had a count for how many kayakers annually use the Little Calumet River.
Bugajski said he didn’t have a “ballpark guess,” but the riverbank underneath the bridge is already a popular launching spot for kayakers.
The council also approved its side of an agreement with Chesterton to pave 23rd Street.
Michael Barry, the town’s building commissioner/director of development, said that Porter was the primary applicant for the state Community Crossing grant, which covers 80% of the cost.
Barry said the agreement with Chesterton is similar to joint paving projects that occurred on boundary roads like Woodlawn Avenue and Oakhill Road.
Milestone Contractors was awarded the contract for $299,527.30. Porter’s side of the project includes a sidewalk, so its share of $31,190.23 is slightly higher than Chesterton’s $28,715.23 contribution.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter at the Post-Tribune.
More Top Picks Ski Helmets