The Porter County Commissioners are looking to move ahead with some facility upgrades. The county's redevelopment commission has agreed to lend $120,000 to renovate the first floor of the former sheriff's residence, which used to house the Porter County Museum.
Commissioner Barb Regnitz says the plan is to have the space available for lease, starting January 1. "The $120,000 will go towards a kitchenette, putting the first floor restroom back in and also for the first floor air conditioning," Regnitz said during last week's commissioners meeting.
A walk-through for prospective tenants is planned for July 26 at 10:00 a.m.
The commissioners also passed a motion last week urging the county council to approve a $25 million bond for improvements to the county's Valparaiso highway garage and the county jail. That's in spite of the fact that the county doesn't actually have full plans for the projects yet.
Commissioner Jim Biggs wants to time the bond issuance so that it takes the place of another bond that's about to be paid off, meaning taxpayers won't see an increase. "We have to begin setting the table to move this bond forward," Biggs said, "because we're running out of time."
An initial analysis found potentially dangerous conditions at the highway garage.
Meanwhile, there's still a chance the Memorial Opera House renovation could move forward. The project reached an apparent stalemate, with the commissioners unwilling to approve the original scope of the project and the council refusing to fund the commissioners' scaled-back version. The council is expected to reconsider the request to spend $5 million in American Rescue Plan money on the project during its meeting Tuesday.