[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6293120,"mediaKeyId","2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8","parentId",2523985,"title","Votes at a glance: Michigan City Parks Board actions (March 5, 2025)","audioSeconds",4890,"startMs",282000,"endMs",5172000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8&start=282&end=5172","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8/thumbnail_282000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6293120/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Votes-at-a-glance-Michigan-City-Parks-Board-actions-March-5-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293120-cf7a9f76ae02f6a89e7114bb6fe31a75/orig.mp4?Expires=1775702409&Signature=FmrY2JluAeAgYoLgp2BkWLXdDRA1CtD~KQZjrxvjvhCNsp5fzYX2PpwC-3Dn~K9GVZ~B6rPcoZwL2jpuXakQOxiO4IfBIft24Q72STEJ2IJcQO1pw7m517Ru-48-K-ZjspBvMa8fuh0L5yEf7KrmxmdcYH2psu1PZA5VaSbLUyyoioyuJzUXM4qZ4dn5yAyRnxZxeM0Oar5F9bBY1mm7Vxh7Sc30oF~K4YDZX-zuftlOKo3DkcHFcu6OmKrdxeDkVoYtdgbIHxiLPTqMLVgrJ9gd6l9P3IyDXIzWcMFuuPnhL4Uk2WBCNRCN5G24PUNXjrHxOdO05q1fkaI8Ku3Hrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Michigan City, IN","date","2025-03-06T04:26:36Z","article","At its March 5 meeting the Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board moved on a number of business items. The list below summarizes formal motions, recorded outcomes and key details presented during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- 2025 Soccer in the Sand major event license agreement — Approved (voice vote). Staff recommended retaining a $100 administrative fee based on parking revenue; board accepted the agreement.

- Federer's Alley Playground 50% design presentation — Tabled (consultants absent). Board deferred presentation to March 19; item remains on the table.

- Paper Football League (program approval) — Approved (voice vote). Proponents described a family-friendly program for multiple ages and partnership with park programming.

- EVP beach volleyball additional camp sessions (summer 2025) — Approved (voice vote). New camp dates, age groups and fees were presented; staff noted a conflict with a local festival and offered alternate lots for setup as needed.

- PrideFest major license agreement (June 14) — Approved (roll-call vote; unanimous among members present). Setup begins 7 a.m.; event 1–8 p.m.; teardown by 11 p.m.; organizers affirmed family-friendly content rules.

- Millennium Plaza fountain assessment report — Accepted (voice vote). Board then voted to demolish the fountain and directed staff to seek additional appropriation from the mayor/controller/city council to fund demolition and site work.

- Wings of Wonder (Winds of Wonder) aviary design set — Approved with direction to value-engineer the design to reduce costs (voice vote). Staff will return with revised costed plans and funding approach.

- JB West contract for zoo upper aviary roof replacement — Approved (voice vote). Contract amount presented at meeting: $17,200.50 (to be paid from endowment funds).

- Revised Pepsi agreement — Approved (voice vote). Contract corrected to match negotiated volume threshold (3,750 units).

- 2024 Park Department annual report — Tabled for additional review (board requested more time to digest the 89-page report).

- Special purchase: Northpointe Pavilion light pole repair — Approved (public-safety emergency purchase) for $8,324; staff said the pole can be ordered immediately and repaired within about two weeks.

- Claims and payroll — Claims docket of $66,223.01 and payroll of $66,715.40 were approved by voice vote.

- Gifts and donations — Kroger miscellaneous zoo donation ($56.67) accepted.

Several other routine motions were handled by voice vote. Where the mover or seconder was not explicitly named on the record, the board’s minutes identify the motions as made and seconded and record outcomes as announced at the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Michigan City Parks & Recreation Board March 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Summary of motions and formal outcomes from the March 5 Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board meeting, including approvals, tabled items and budgetary actions.","taxTitle","Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana","taxId",12510,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6293123,"Board approves Wings of Wonder enclosed aviary design; staff to value-engineer over budget proposal",0,5131000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8&start=5131&end=5131","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8/thumbnail_5131000.jpg","/articles/6293123/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Board-approves-Wings-of-Wonder-enclosed-aviary-design-staff-to-value-engineer-over-budget-proposal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293123-0ebe3e2feaaa3212cb44443c066ce01a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775702409&Signature=H5fgzJO7W8IeloFPiiHYyHYrjcp-SFtB1ZLw53UQ2TfuWQtYYttltS3k24r3cCR254Z86lZrDbuZGs39gY~56jLA7i9bEXF~D4VNmnNdmRcMW59pSDAf6yyxSe1Nwc2anSZ5iLninSSQ27vPY6kCqyuiX2yiZ0d5z5ANKdPd52RFGgBbFr7qX9-neTezISWaHTJpHOD4qV-2jhDbhjLtKcbyqZFZaNlcsUFRFl3TLU9QUTrPQG15boaz9XyTFphrTCTxdeWNMuDVvFrG82FfLErd4sB1ht6fLURulJXut9XJp6uPSyYaUIp4Rdr~f5Q5qH8sgqS22PwyIIuYx8Gc9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board approved the Wings of Wonder design set March 5 and authorized staff to work with the architect on value engineering to reduce estimated costs.

Zoo staff and representatives from Keil Architecture presented a fully enclosed aviary design intended to protect mixed-species birds from avian influenza and to permit year-round exhibit operation. Zoo director Jamie Huss said the enclosure would reduce the need to move birds to off-display holding areas and would allow the exhibit to operate in rain or snow, with lighting for evening events.

Architectural presenter Sam (Kil Architecture) displayed floor plans and 3-D views showing a climate-controlled steel-frame building with significant natural light through glass and clerestory openings. The design would connect to an existing building on the west side and incorporate egress, lighting and mechanical systems to meet life-safety requirements.

Staff acknowledged the current design exceeds the project’s available funding. The department reported approximately $167,000 available in zoo-related endowment funds and said it may draw from concession cash balances and donations while seeking additional funding sources. Staff described a plan to value-engineer the design and return with reduced-scope documents for construction bidding; they said they had scheduled a meeting with the architect to identify cost-saving changes.

Board members asked for the design approval to proceed on a conditional basis to allow the value-engineering process. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded dissent.

Project cost estimates presented at the meeting placed the design in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars (staff said the current design is approximately $500,000), while staff initially hoped to deliver the project for a much smaller budget; staff asked the board to approve the design as submitted with the understanding that scope and materials will be revised to reach an affordable target.","The Parks Board approved the submitted design set for the zoo’s Wings of Wonder enclosed aviary, directing staff and the architect to reduce costs to meet available funds after presentations highlighted avian-flu transmission risk and year-round exhibit benefits.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6293128,"Park board votes to demolish Millennium Plaza fountain after engineering assessment",514,3886000,4400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8&start=3886&end=4400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8/thumbnail_3886000.jpg","/articles/6293128/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Park-board-votes-to-demolish-Millennium-Plaza-fountain-after-engineering-assessment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293128-ff1e37a6c738edee3a2dd5f75fecc157/orig.mp4?Expires=1775702409&Signature=G~ggbHflipbhFLNW1ZLVFpDaE4MV7t8unf4Rc-KQxHoTeOVxvAHnOpKeLP2tCkcMEqCfR~lbCKMJ5Y86uHUUpNEIlmTCOJSK8845qOrL5dEadIjYGs0wkV-Ladrw4GaTjFWcgWTxa-fYQT5wgxY9C4HqP7g6k~ifJQ83cUvMJGUoknuxJDE~RvfCWTRZ6XiCxPrHeeMuP2-1~1c8lVtpCAQO7WKo12wNkt8ZBJxiMM~Ws8ChX5wqQpjLtyyJ~BcZZoceMPg0Lvd4xdXVkmhpfP11AJfTp86jChMTzbT91VSqnQ4RYnLymMqrN2mQQ9o7ZOzXn2dNdumSALVbIEG6wQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board voted March 5 to demolish the Millennium Plaza fountain after receiving an engineering assessment that found extensive structural deterioration and high projected costs to restore the feature.

Park staff presented assessments from Haas & Associates and a commercial fountain company that estimated demolition costs at roughly $137,000 and restoration costs beginning in the mid-hundreds of thousands of dollars. Staff added an $88,000 contingency to cover unknown underground infrastructure costs; staff said a conservative restoration estimate could exceed $550,000 and that a full restoration might reach as much as $700,000 when underground utilities and long-term operating costs were included.

Park staff described multiple safety and operational problems: a nonfunctional filtration system that requires daily manual refilling, broken wind sensors, vandalized underground lighting, corroding pump-house equipment caused by poor ventilation, cracked capstones, exposed reinforcing steel and clogged drain lines. Staff said annual operating costs for a restored fountain would be about $12,000 per year for labor, water, electricity and chemicals.

After the presentation the board voted to accept the assessment report and then voted to demolish the fountain and authorize staff to seek an additional appropriation from the mayor and city controller’s office and ultimately city council to fund the demolition work.

Public comment included residents who described the fountain as a cherished landmark and urged repair rather than removal; others said demolition could open the plaza for different festival layouts and improved programming. One resident noted the survey the department ran was difficult to interpret because many respondents stopped before finishing all questions, and staff said the public input was roughly split between restoring and removing the fountain.

The board’s demolition vote included a request that staff pursue additional city funding to pay for demolition and site work; the board did not yet adopt a replacement plan for the plaza pending appropriation and further staff recommendations.","The board accepted an engineering assessment and then voted to demolish the Millennium Plaza fountain, citing structural deterioration and high repair costs; members will seek additional appropriation from the city to cover demolition.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6293132,"Michigan City park board approves PrideFest license after heated public debate over drag show",2901,942000,3843000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8&start=942&end=3843","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2523985-0dcd4ba572f6b77fb6ec2172e63e49d8/thumbnail_942000.jpg","/articles/6293132/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Michigan-City-park-board-approves-PrideFest-license-after-heated-public-debate-over-drag-show","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293132-349b17a1f1856f57a547112864775b8e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775702409&Signature=Zi45b-qyuyCeG8H2dlZY6cE4gNYLmChRjCoCozo9akckP3We4h3Fo2Vwbi5d4bt~x2JChCo~Lb2QoKzNExpN8P6jptVs2Nvta9TeEuGt7WXChQZ4nOz1lwPpyP0jmNgaSDcepJxZ-VcdT3IpVCtB9M5O6cumwSK7IOgP4MxL6HWx6awnh2NgrEhDqebzYQTF7upq2CBvdgFomK9~Rb8WOwHub~JWLYWzb-M5xZvOoPUSChvnK7P20Lm2s32ThSoB8jUv7tPkEGOnbW3kzKUwZ9W6rVjghu2NVUkYTDSKrXMrHKZr7zK3OEJ7JHahG4nIE4GGCD5Ew51uVOfgvYiupA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously March 5 to approve a major event license for PrideFest, a one-day festival set for June 14 at the amphitheater in Washington Park.

The decision followed more than an hour of public comment in which residents, community leaders and event organizers raised opposing concerns about a drag show component of the festival and whether portions of the event are suitable for children.

Supporters said the festival is family friendly, important to LGBTQ+ residents and an economic draw. Julie Geier, identified in the meeting as the festival organizer, told the board the event includes a wide variety of vendors, community groups and services and said the festival “serves like 6,000 people that day.” John Littlesberger, who runs a local website, said, “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a drag show,” and urged the board to keep the event approved so performers and queer artists have a local stage.

Opponents urged limits on the variety show portion of the program or relocation to an age-restricted venue. Several speakers cited concerns about children seeing what they called sexually suggestive attire, and one attendee read an open letter signed by members of a local church urging the board to “protect the children.” Board members and festival organizers said the stage is not visible to casual passersby unless a person intentionally enters the festival’s single main entrance and moves to the amphitheater area. Organizers also said the show follows family-friendly guidelines: no removal of clothing, no cursing and no sexually explicit material.

Board members discussed the balance between public safety, free expression and economic impact. Council liaison remarks during the discussion noted that the event has brought large numbers of visitors to the area in past years and that no formal complaints about the event had been filed to his office during his time as liaison.

After public comment the board made a motion to accept the major license agreement; the vote was taken by roll call and recorded as unanimous in favor.

The license approval allows the festival to proceed under the same setup and timing as the prior year: vendor set up beginning at 7 a.m., event hours from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., and teardown completed by 11 p.m. Organizers said they will continue to manage the event layout so that the amphitheater performances are not visible from the park’s main entrance without deliberate entry.

The board did not adopt additional restrictions on the variety show or require an age limit; organizers and board members said they would rely on the event’s stated family-friendly content restrictions and on public awareness for parents wishing to avoid the performance.

The board’s approval clears one of the municipal permissions organizers said they need to stage PrideFest at Washington Park this summer.","The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved a major event license for PrideFest on June 14 after an extended public comment period featuring opposing views about drag performances and children’s exposure.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Michigan City Parks Board actions (March 5, 2025)

Board approves Wings of Wonder enclosed aviary design; staff to value-engineer over budget proposal

Park board votes to demolish Millennium Plaza fountain after engineering assessment

Michigan City park board approves PrideFest license after heated public debate over drag show