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LaPorte County parks superintendent details restoration work, awards and busy seasonal programs
Summary
Superintendent Jeremy updated the LaPorte County Parks and Recreation Board on awards for staff and volunteers, active restoration at Bloom—including time-limited tree removals for bat-season compliance—and a well-attended reindeer event; he also previewed 2027 anniversary plans and noted visitor-counter discrepancies.
LaPorte County Parks Superintendent Jeremy told the Parks and Recreation Board on Feb. 3 that several park projects and community programs are underway and that staff will post the annual report to the department website this week.
Jeremy opened the administrative report by presenting annual awards, naming Greg Shear as the Outstanding Parks Service Award recipient and praising Shear’s years of summer staffing and volunteer caretaker work. Greg Shear accepted the award, saying, “I enjoy all the parks … I come every day, and I enjoy coming out just to the beauty of the park because of the good people I work for and with.”
The superintendent gave a project update for Bloom, where contractor Tree Man has begun tree removal. Jeremy said parts of Bloom will be closed while equipment is operating and that the work must be finished before a date in March to avoid disturbing bat species that potentially roost in those trees: “it has to be done before a certain date in March, I think, due to bat species that potentially roost in those trees during the season.” He described the work as long-term: adding acreage, wetlands and trail connections and converting a regulated ditch into a more natural flowing stream, and warned users that sections will be temporarily inaccessible during active work.
Jeremy also summarized seasonal programming. He described the recent reindeer program at Lure as the event’s second year there, with the parking lot nearly full and “about 600 people” attending over a few hours. The program included a three‑player chamber ensemble and Santa, and was funded by donors including Antero Group, Reath Riley and the Friends of the Library.
He reported the county removed a caretaker house near the tracks, ending the county’s role as landlord for that structure, and previewed 2027 as the parks department’s 50th anniversary. Jeremy said the department and the park foundation plan to fund a historic trail at Red Mill with weatherproof interpretive signs, photos and possible artifact displays and consider parade participation to promote anniversary events.
On administrative details, Jeremy said the annual report will be released soon and flagged a possible problem with visitor counters: attendance figures were lower in 2025 (under 400,000) than the record year of 2024 (about 500,000), and staff will investigate counter accuracy.
The board did not take additional formal action on the projects during the meeting; Jeremy said staff will circulate more details and cost estimates as they become available and will work with the planning committee on anniversary events.
