The town of Chesterton has applied for a grant to help pay for $1.5 million in improvements to enhance Dogwood Park’s east side.
Chesterton Parks Superintendent Tyler McLead told the Park Board Tuesday that he recently submitted an application for a $500,000 Lake and Water Conservation grant.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources administers the federal grant program to the local communities. McLead said he should know by the year’s end if the town is successful.
If the town receives the grant, McLead said Chesterton’s $1 million match would come from a recently obtained $1.9 million bond for capital improvements and impact fees collected from new developments.
Design work would be done next year with construction occurring in 2028 for the east side of the park, east of S. 23rd Street and north of County Road 1100 N.
McLead also revealed an updated concept map with all of the planned Dogwood Park East improvements.
The main new component would be a 2.5-acre dog park. The town recently received a $100,000 grant from the Porter County Community Foundation for the dog park, which will be matched by $100,000 in local fundraising.
Another new attraction that would satisfy a demand from residents is a skate park, which would be placed on the northwest corner where there are now sand volleyball courts. A new sand volleyball court would be located near a shelter on the Dogwood Park East grounds.
Rubber pathways would be placed around the playground equipment to improve safety.
Sidewalks would be built to better connect everything within the park, along with a .35 mile walking loop.
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“It really creates a multi-generational approach,” McLead said regarding the improvements.
McLead also shared photos showing the damage from a pine tree that crashed through the roof of a storage building at Chesterton Park during a storm on July 27. Falling limbs also damaged the roof of a shelter at the park. He said that insurance will help pay for the roof repairs.
Three large Norway Spruce trees in the downtown Thomas Centennial Park also had to be removed due to storm damage, but the newly renovated bandstand was unscathed, McLead said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter w/ the Post-Tribune.