Chesterton Town Council Member Jim Ton urges the importance of connectivity at Westchester Liberty Trail ribbon cutting

Photos taken by Assistant Building Commissioner Alex Vode

Featured image: Cutting the ribbon, from left to right: Chesterton Park Superintendent Tyler McLead; Park Board Member Wendy Marciniak; Town Council members Jim Ton, R-1st, Erin Collins, D-2nd, Sharon Darnell, D-4th, Jennifer Fisher, R-5th, and Dane Lafata, D-3rd; and Town Engineer Mark O’Dell

It’s now possible for a pedestrian or a bicyclist to travel—safely, securely, and smoothly—from the Prairie Duneland trailhead on South 15th Street to 23rd Street, then south to Dogwood Park and 1100N, then all the way east to 100E.

Keep going, though: Walk or ride north along South Calumet Road to Broadway in the Downtown, then back to the 15th Street trailhead, and finally—if the day is sunny and pleasant and you’ve got the legs for it—11 miles west through Portage to the Prairie Duneland Trail’s terminus in Hobart.

But the Prairie Duneland Trail will also easily get you to Porter’s Brickyard Trail (via Jackson Blvd.) and from its trailhead in Dune Acres to the Calumet Trail and points east.

So when, on Friday, Sept. 12, the Chesterton Town Council and honored guests celebrated the opening of Phase III(A) of the Westchester Liberty Trail—the crucial segment between South Fifth Street and 100E linking nearly every neighborhood in the Town of Chesterton west of Ind. 49—folks were also celebrating a win for connectivity 30 years in the making, as Town Council Member Jim Ton, R-1st, made crystal clear as the event’s keynote speaker.

The full text of Ton’s remarks:

“What a tremendous access this portion of the Westchester Liberty Trail is to the town. There is now a safe passage from South Fifth to South Calumet Road for runners, walkers, and all manner of travelers.

“Disparate portions of the trail do not ultimately fulfill the true purpose of building a trail. Ultimately, a trail is designed to go to a location or to another trail. This is the town’s goal: To ultimately create connectivity. Realistically, it takes time to acquire a right-of-way and purchase or obtain the needed property to do so.

“1100N is a primary entrance into Chesterton and it cried out for improvement. It is fair to say that thousands of students, parents, and visitors use 1100N to reach the CHS campus from Ind. 49 each year for all sorts of contest, events, and occasions. They will now travel on a first-class route. The Fifth Street cut-off will link to the planned Healthy Living Campus, the 11th Street cut-off to CHS and the Westchester Migratory Bird Sanctuary, the 23rd Street connection in Dogwood Park to the Duneland Prairie Trail.

“The Duneland Prairie Trail celebrates its 30th-plus year this year as Chesterton’s first and primary trail. In 1984-85, the E.J.E. railroad abandoned its tracks from 15th Street and Broadway to Crocker at Ind. 149. Anxious to sell the property, the railroad land soon went up for sale. Adjacent land owners looked to buy up the pieces.

“New on the Town Council, I quickly learned that opinions must and will be heard in Chesterton. After hearing both sides, the Town of Chesterton made an offer that the railroad could not refuse and purchased the entire property: 15th Street to Ind. 149 as a ‘utility corridor,’ which might have a walking path on it when completed.

“As matters stand now 30 years later: The Calumet Trail along U.S. 12 links the Brickyard Trail in Porter that links the Duneland Prairie Trail at Jackson Blvd. in Chesterton; while the Duneland Prairie Trail cut-off at 23rd Street links to the Westchester Liberty Trail at 1100. This is connectivity. This is the ultimate goal of trails.

“100E south to Rail Road is a next step. It will involve county-town boundaries at the southwest corner of 1100N and 100E. That route may eventually become a portion of the proposed Dunes Kankakee Trail through Valparaiso to the Kankakee River in South Porter County, in theory at this time.

“Thank you for your attendance at this ribbon-cutting ceremony and your continued interest in improving the standard of living in Chesterton.”

TOWN COUNCIL PRESIDENT SHARON DARNEL

Town Council President Sharon Darnell, D-4th, followed Ton with comments of her own.

“For more than 25 years, multiple Town Councils—some of which I’ve been privileged to sit on—have played a part first in acquiring the right-of-way for a viable trail system in Chesterton and then building it piece by piece,” Darnell noted. “It hasn’t been a quick process nor always an easy one. At times we’ve had to wait as long as eight years between segments. But as Town Council members we are deeply committed to this community, we never lost sight of moving forward, and with the completion of Phase III(A) of the Westchester Liberty Trail we now have 2.44 miles of trails connecting us all over town and beyond our boundaries. And let’s not forget the generosity of the agencies which helped us financially on this project as well as the consultants and contractors whose valuable expertise we retained.”

PARK BOARD PRESIDENT PAUL SHINN

Representing the Park Board at the ribbon-cutting was President Paul Shinn, who offered an inventory of the many excellent reasons for improving connectivity in, around, and beyond the Town of Chesterton itself.

“It’s an exciting day for our community,” Shinn began. “The extension of the Westchester Liberty Trail does more than just add mileage to our system. It connects several local amenities, from parks to schools to neighborhoods. This trail is an extension of the South Calumet Business District to our Downtown, making it easier and safer for people of all ages to connect to the places they live, learn, work, and recreate. It also extends the linkage to a broader regional trail, a network offering residents and visitors access to Downtown Chesterton all the way to Hobart and beyond.”

“Trails like this one are more than just recreation,” Shinn emphasized. “They promote healthier lifestyles, safer transportation, and a stronger sense of community. A big thank you to everyone who made the extension possible, from the design team to the construction team to our Engineering Department, elected officials, NIRPC, and INDOT. We’re excited to be adding this extension to our inventory and look forward to seeing it used for generations to come.”

NIRPC ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION MANAGER MITCH BARLOGA

Representing the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) was Active Transportation Manager Mitch Barloga, who stated upfront that he really didn’t need to preach the gospel of connectivity at the ribbon-cutting because Ton had already done so, and admirably.

Barloga did want to express his particular gratitude to Ton, however, as the Town of Chesterton’s boots on the ground at NIRPC as well as a staunch promoter of its best interests. “Jim has been there at the NIRPC meetings, understanding how the Region works, where the money is, how to get that money to finance things in the community,” Barloga said. “He’s truly a leader, truly a champion for the Town of Chesterton. Thank you, Jim, for your leadership.”

Barloga brought the ribbon-cutting to a close with high praise of Town Engineer Mark O’Dell as well. “I love embarrassing him,” Barloga laughed. “He likes to stay behind the scenes. But he has worked on some extremely challenging projects in this town and the trails have been one of them. He’s as good a Town Engineer in any community I know of in Northwest Indiana. He is as professional and straightforward as it gets. You’re all very blessed to have Mark as your Engineer.”

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

The following all played key roles in the planning, design, and construction of Phase III(A) of the Westchester Liberty Trail:

*American Structurepoint, designer: Regina Sessions and Jeremy Szutenback.

*F.H. Paschen, contractor: Superintendent Brian Panzik and Project Manager (and Chesterton resident) Rachel Upton.

*Lochmueller Group, construction observer: Anita Gosbin.

*Harris Welsh & Lukmann, right-of-way acquisition: Attorney Connor Nolan.

*Town of Chesterton, owner representative: Assistant Town Engineer Matt Gavelek.

Phase III(A) of the Westchester Liberty Trail was partially funded by an 80/20 grant of $1,106,839.78, awarded by NIRPC and administered by INDOT, applied to the cost of right-of-way acquisition, construction, and construction observation.