Porter County commissioners raise rates for parking garage to keep up with maintenance costs

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

To recoup more than $600,000 in maintenance costs, Porter County is increasing the fee to park in the county garage south of the administration building during Popcorn Fest and also doubling the contract fee the city of Valparaiso pays to use the garage after business hours and on weekends.
The fee to park during the Popcorn Fest will increase from $15 to $20 for the day and Valparaiso's contract fee is being doubled from $15,000 to $30,000. Under that contract, public parking is free from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends.
Last year, after a decade at $10 for the day of Popcorn Fest, the parking fee was raised to $15. At the time there had been talk of going to $20 but commissioners were uncomfortable with such a large jump all at once.
Commissioner Barb Regnitz, R-Center, asked if any conversation had been had with the city about the proposed increase. 'Whatever conversation we're going to have is going to be one-sided,' replied Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North. 'They're not going to like it.'
Biggs said Valparaiso didn't cut the county any slack in requiring it to pay a $39,000 building permit fee for the ongoing renovations to the Porter County Jail which is within city limits. 'Love doing business with them,' he said, 'but we have our own business to take care of here.'
Porter County Facilities Director Joe Wiszowaty told the Board of Commissioners at its meeting Tuesday morning that $300,000 has already been spent on a complete overhaul of the garage and another $300,000 in maintenance is expected to be spent over the next five years.
The garage was built in 1994 and recently had a full-depth restoration in which rebar was redone and deteriorated areas of the garage deck cut out and replaced. An epoxy overlay was also put on all seams.
'It should last a hundred years, easy,' Wiszowaty said. 'We've done all the corrective steps.'