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Porter County Parks lays out plan for Sunset Hill Nature & Event Center and new South County Park
Summary
Porter County Parks presented plans for a Nature & Event Center at Sunset Hill Farm and a prioritized South County Park, citing overcrowded programs (about 856 camp enrollments with ~200 on the wait list) and a capital campaign that would pursue donor naming rights to fund construction and operations.
Porter County Parks officials on the council dais detailed two major capital projects: a Nature & Event Center at Sunset Hill Farm Park and a new South County Park north of Chesterton.
The parks presenter said the Sunset Hill project aims to expand programming and add an event venue and a permanently open nature center. "We would build it to hold three to 400 people," the presenter said, describing a barn-style event space intended for weddings, conferences and larger public programs. Staff argued the venue would both meet unmet local demand and generate revenue to sustain park programming.
Officials gave enrollment figures to illustrate need: the parks staff said Camp Funset had 856 kids enrolled this year (about 115 per week) and an estimated 200 children remain on the wait list, a primary justification for additional indoor and program space. Presenters said the center would also enhance school field-trip capacity and expand parks-to-schools offerings.
On South County Park, staff described a roughly 60-acre site with athletic fields (soccer, baseball, softball), a walking trail of more than a mile, pickleball courts, dog parks and rentable pavilions. The presentation framed the project as a way to retain local recreation dollars and attract out-of-county tournament traffic and hotel stays that would boost the southern county economy.
Parks staff said a capital campaign committee formed last August and named participants they had engaged for fundraising conversations, including park board president Brian Weisen and local supporters; they listed options ranging from sponsorships to naming rights. The parks team emphasized the early stage of fundraising and pledged to return with more detailed funding requests.
Council members commended the presentation and encouraged staff to continue fundraising and return with concrete proposals and requests for county support. The parks presentation concluded without an immediate county appropriation request.
