Latest news with #LittleCalumetRiverBasinDevelopmentCommission
Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Hickory Ridge flood control project underway in Merrillville
Some 400 residents in and around the former Hickory Ridge apartment complex are getting 2.73 million gallons of water storage — and lower flood insurance bills — via a partnership between the Town of Merrillville and Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission. The 8.4-acre trench to the west of The Ridge apartments, on 57th and Hayes Street, has been under construction for several months and is expected to be completed within a month or so, Merrillville Stormwater Utility Executive Director Matt Lake said Thursday during an onsite groundbreaking ceremony. The next time they're out on the scene, they may need to hold a ribbon-cutting, he joked. 'The purpose of this project is to provide a substantially higher level of flood control,' Lake said. 'This project provides about 2.73 million gallons of storage as well as improved conveyances and rehabilitation of a pump system, all combined to assist this area.' The project has been many years in the making – 17 years, to be exact, Lake said. In September 2008, the trajectory of flood mitigation changed in two days when nine inches of rain deluged Northwest Indiana. 'Stormwater mitigation was a relatively new thing, and we weren't required to do a lot of things,' he said. '(After that storm) we really started taking flood control much more seriously.' The town started acquiring the easements it needed for The Ridge project — never an easy, short task, Lake and Burke Engineering Vice President of Water Resources Darren Olson agreed — and in 2014, it created a Stormwater Master Plan with about $20 million worth of mitigation projects that the town has been checking off one by one, Lake said. The Ridge project, at $2.1 million, is one of the bigger ones. 'Everyone does stormwater master plans now; having a road map, especially for big-dollar projects, is important,' Lake said. When completed, the project will have replaced all the underground pipes with bigger ones as well as place the pump and lift station mostly underground, Lake and Olson said. Project contractor Dyer Construction will the redo the road and install sidewalks along the length of the project. While keeping water out of residents' basements — and in the case of The Ridge tenants, their whole apartments — is the big goal, helping them keep their flood insurance is a bonus, Lake said. Projects like the new pump system give that area of Merrillville a lower rating on the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System, which means lower flood insurance rates. Lake credited the Merrillville Town Council and Stormwater Board for 'making the tough decisions but gave special thanks to the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, which gave the town $932,168 in cost-share dollars for the project. The rest of it, he said, was paid for purely through town stormwater fees. 'We didn't bond out at all for this – in fact, our bonds are all paid off,' he said. Council President Rick Bella, D-5, said he was happy to see it's almost finished and that he supports any project that benefits residents.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill for Lake County Council to review Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission moves to House
A bill requiring the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission to submit an annual budget to the Lake County Council passed out of the Senate Tuesday. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Sen. Randy Niemeyer, R-Lowell, authored Senate Bill 40 which would require the commission to submit an annual budget before Sept. 1 of each year for a nonbinding review. The bill would also require the commission to submit an annual expenditure and activity report to the council before Nov. 1 of each year. The bill would go into effect July 1 if signed into law. The Senate Committee on Local Government amended the bill to change language stating the council should approve the commission's budget to nonbinding review of the budget. The bill was then reassigned to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy, which also approved the bill. Dernulc said Tuesday that in Lake County many entities, like libraries and townships, present their budgets for review by the council. Dernulc said he was appointed to the board by Gov. Mitch Daniels and the whole commission is appointed. 'We do have money coming in, and I do think an elected board should review that,' Dernulc said. Niemeyer said the commission oversees a $6 million budget. While the current commissioners have done a good job allocating the funds, Niemeyer said a future makeup of the commission may not be as fiscally responsible. 'They're not going to be there forever, so as time goes on, all it is is a nonbinding review,' Niemeyer said. Sen. Randolph, D-East Chicago, who co-authored the bill, said it will give the county authority to oversee the commission's budget. 'They're not going to reject or bid anything of that nature, it's just a check and balance,' Randolph said. Dan Repay, the executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, previously said the commission understands 'that people want to see what's going on and we don't have an issue with doing that.' The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission manages a flood control project and works with the communities along the watershed to make sure the water stays and moves where it is supposed to, Repay said. The commission has been transparent, Repay said, with meeting videos posted to its website. Repay said the commission will track the bill as it moves through the legislature, and if it becomes law the commission will follow it. 'We're watching it, but we're still remaining focused on what we have to do here. It's not going to change what we do on a daily basis,' Repay said. The bill passed out of the Senate in a 49-0 vote. It will move forward for consideration by the House. State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, and State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, will sponsor the bill in the House. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
18-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Bill for Lake County Council to review Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission moves to House
A bill requiring the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission to submit an annual budget to the Lake County Council passed out of the Senate Tuesday. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Sen. Randy Niemeyer, R-Lowell, authored Senate Bill 40 which would require the commission to submit an annual budget before Sept. 1 of each year for a nonbinding review. The bill would also require the commission to submit an annual expenditure and activity report to the council before Nov. 1 of each year. The bill would go into effect July 1 if signed into law. The Senate Committee on Local Government amended the bill to change language stating the council should approve the commission's budget to nonbinding review of the budget. The bill was then reassigned to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy, which also approved the bill. Dernulc said Tuesday that in Lake County many entities, like libraries and townships, present their budgets for review by the council. Dernulc said he was appointed to the board by Gov. Mitch Daniels and the whole commission is appointed. 'We do have money coming in, and I do think an elected board should review that,' Dernulc said. Niemeyer said the commission oversees a $6 million budget. While the current commissioners have done a good job allocating the funds, Niemeyer said a future makeup of the commission may not be as fiscally responsible. 'They're not going to be there forever, so as time goes on, all it is is a nonbinding review,' Niemeyer said. Sen. Randolph, D-East Chicago, who co-authored the bill, said it will give the county authority to oversee the commission's budget. 'They're not going to reject or bid anything of that nature, it's just a check and balance,' Randolph said. Dan Repay, the executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, previously said the commission understands 'that people want to see what's going on and we don't have an issue with doing that.' The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission manages a flood control project and works with the communities along the watershed to make sure the water stays and moves where it is supposed to, Repay said. The commission has been transparent, Repay said, with meeting videos posted to its website. Repay said the commission will track the bill as it moves through the legislature, and if it becomes law the commission will follow it. 'We're watching it, but we're still remaining focused on what we have to do here. It's not going to change what we do on a daily basis,' Repay said. The bill passed out of the Senate in a 49-0 vote. It will move forward for consideration by the House. State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, and State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, will sponsor the bill in the House.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission budget review bill passes out of committee
A bill requiring the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission to submit an annual budget to the Lake County Council passed out of committee Tuesday. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, authored Senate Bill 40 that would require the commission to submit an annual budget before Sept. 1 of each year for a nonbinding review. The bill would also require the commission to submit an annual expenditure and activity report to the council before Nov. 1 of each year. The bill would go into effect July 1 if signed into law. The Senate Local Government Committee amended the bill to change language stating the council should approve the commission's budget to nonbinding review of the budget. At the Local Government Committee, Dernulc testified that the commission hadn't done anything wrong. Dernulc said he was the commission's president and hired the current executive director. 'The purpose of this bill is just to give some type of oversight to an elected body for review,' Dernulc said. 'This will also keep some transparency for the commission.' The bill was then reassigned to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy, which approved the bill Tuesday. Niemeyer said Tuesday the bill would require the commission to present the council with its budget similar to the way the library, township trustees and other organizations do. 'I think it's a good transparency bill because it's on the taxpayer's bill. Six of the councilmen are (representing) part of the Little Cal Basin so they should be able to look at that budget every year and look at the expenditures,' Niemeyer said. The bill passed 13-0 out of committee Tuesday. It will now move to the whole Senate for consideration. Dan Repay, the executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, said Dernulc has talked to the commission about the bill. 'We understand that people want to see what's going on and we don't have an issue with doing that,' Repay said of submitting reports and a budget to the council. The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission manages a flood control project and works with the communities along the watershed to make sure the water stays and moves where it is supposed to, Repay said. The commission has been transparent, Repay said, with meeting videos posted to its website. Repay said the commission will track the bill as it moves through the legislature, and if it becomes law, the commission will follow it. 'We're watching it, but we're still remaining focused on what we have to do here. It's not going to change what we do on a daily basis,' Repay said. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
13-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission budget review bill passes out of committee
A bill requiring the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission to submit an annual budget to the Lake County Council passed out of committee Tuesday. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, authored Senate Bill 40 that would require the commission to submit an annual budget before Sept. 1 of each year for a nonbinding review. The bill would also require the commission to submit an annual expenditure and activity report to the council before Nov. 1 of each year. The bill would go into effect July 1 if signed into law. The Senate Local Government Committee amended the bill to change language stating the council should approve the commission's budget to nonbinding review of the budget. At the Local Government Committee, Dernulc testified that the commission hadn't done anything wrong. Dernulc said he was the commission's president and hired the current executive director. 'The purpose of this bill is just to give some type of oversight to an elected body for review,' Dernulc said. 'This will also keep some transparency for the commission.' The bill was then reassigned to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy, which approved the bill Tuesday. Niemeyer said Tuesday the bill would require the commission to present the council with its budget similar to the way the library, township trustees and other organizations do. 'I think it's a good transparency bill because it's on the taxpayer's bill. Six of the councilmen are (representing) part of the Little Cal Basin so they should be able to look at that budget every year and look at the expenditures,' Niemeyer said. The bill passed 13-0 out of committee Tuesday. It will now move to the whole Senate for consideration. Dan Repay, the executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, said Dernulc has talked to the commission about the bill. 'We understand that people want to see what's going on and we don't have an issue with doing that,' Repay said of submitting reports and a budget to the council. The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission manages a flood control project and works with the communities along the watershed to make sure the water stays and moves where it is supposed to, Repay said. The commission has been transparent, Repay said, with meeting videos posted to its website. Repay said the commission will track the bill as it moves through the legislature, and if it becomes law, the commission will follow it. 'We're watching it, but we're still remaining focused on what we have to do here. It's not going to change what we do on a daily basis,' Repay said.
