La Porte receives almost $1M in federal funding for Indiana Avenue sewer project

The city of La Porte has received $959,000 in Community Project Funding from the federal government to repair infrastructure from Lincoln Way to Kingsbury Avenue along Indiana Avenue.

During a press conference held Monday in the La Porte County Public Library’s Reading Wifi Garden, La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody said the almost $1 million in federal funding will be used for La Porte’s sewer separation project that will coincide with the Indiana Department of Transportation’s [INDOT] reconstruction of U.S. 35.

City engineer Nick Minich said the Community Project Funding is a grant provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] for clean water.

The sewer separation project, according to city officials, will be separating about 30 percent of the city’s combined sewer areas, which will allow for less sewer overflows, basement backups, as well as improve water quality.

“In 2020, when we talked about one of our top priorities, it was infrastructure, and how are we going to improve the infrastructure, sidewalks, water, sewer, roads and so forth,” Dermody said.

According to previous reports, the city and INDOT approved an interlocal cooperative agreement that allows the city and INDOT to work together during the reconstruction of U.S. 35.

INDOT plans to start reconstruction of U.S. 35, or Indiana Avenue, in the fall of 2024 with basin storm sewers from Boyd Boulevard to U.S. 35, and then up to the cross section of Kingsbury Avenue. Road work will begin in 2025.

The total cost of the project, Minich said, will be about $35 million.

With Indiana Avenue being reconstructed, Dermody and city officials decided to focus on infrastructure to work in tandem with INDOT.

“The road was going to be done, but we’ve also talked about how we have 100-year-old infrastructure problem that’s going to cost $100 million to fix,” Dermody said.

Dermody said with the estimated cost of the infrastructure project, city officials decided to reach out to U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-1st, for help, who happily took on the challenge of finding the funding for the city.

“Congressman Frank Mrvan came up with $1 million for infrastructure in the city of La Porte,” Dermody said.

“We’re all working together as one to make our community a better place to live,” he added.

The federal funding is not only an investment in La Porte’s infrastructure, health, and well-being, Mrvan said, but also in the city’s future.

“This project, it doesn’t have the sizzle of a billion-dollar cloud data center, but what it does do is it offers the foundation of bringing other businesses in the capacity, bringing the whole plan together for La Porte,” Mrvan said.

“It makes sure the world knows that La Porte is a land of limitless possibilities,” he added.

Competing against 435 other individuals in Congress for the funding, Mrvan said Dermody’s relentless pursuit for this federal funding played a huge role in making this project possible.

“One of the first phone calls I received was from Mayor Dermody to come and tour and learn and about what is going on in La Porte,” Mrvan said.

“When I was in his office, as you have witnessed, it’s all about the projects. It was all about the different maps, and it was all about the future,” he added.

Dermody thanked elected city officials, city employees, county elected officials, and local businesses for their support and work to secure the Community Project Funding.

“I have the easy part. I just try to compete for those dollars,” Dermody said.

“When it’s time for paperwork and to fill out the grant and do all the real work, that’s when I quickly step aside and allow our team to lead the charge,” he added.

One city employee who helped secure the funding and is excited about the future of the sewer separation project is Wastewater Supt. Jerry Jackson.

“My department is involved with combined sewers, and when sewage backs up into somebody’s basement or in the street and kids are playing in it, we get the call,” Jackson said.

According to Jackson, being able to separate sewers and fix infrastructure will allow city officials to have the resources available to help others in the future when moving into La Porte.