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Porter County wins $4 million federal grant to complete Calumet Trail; commissioners approve reroute advertisement
Summary
Stormwater staff announced a $4 million federal FLAP grant to complete the county's final Calumet Trail gap and described a reroute of the trail to higher parkland to avoid flooding; commissioners approved advertising for the project and discussed likely construction timing.
Stormwater staff told the Board of Commissioners the county has been awarded a $4,000,000 federal Land and Water Access Program (FLAP) grant to complete the final gap of the Calumet Trail. "Publicly, we have not made the notice that we were awarded $4,000,000 FLAP grant," the project lead said, then confirmed the award during the meeting.
Staff explained the grant-funded project requires rerouting the trail from the NIPSCO corridor to higher portions of parkland to reduce frequent spring flooding along the current alignment. "Part of the funding for this project was from the NOFA application that we submitted, and that was actually to reroute the current alignment of the Calumet Trail from the Nipsco Corridor to National Parkland," Martin said.
Commissioners discussed timing and federal carryover flexibility. Staff said the FLAP grant is programmed in a federal fiscal year that begins July 1 and that carryover is common; with continued coordination they could advertise and, with luck, begin construction as early as next summer but more likely the following summer. The board approved a request to advertise and receive bids for the reconstruction and drainage work.
Why it matters: the grant would fund the county's last trail gap, improving continuity of the Calumet Trail through Porter County and reducing recurrent flooding on the existing corridor. The grant reduces the county's local funding burden for construction, but final schedules and local responsibilities depend on subsequent federal coordination and bid outcomes.
