Center Township Precinct 2, Valparaiso In

10/22/2024

Valpo To Offer Free Bus Rides on Election Day
The City of Valparaiso wishes to remind voters that it will offer free rides on the V-Line intracity bus on election
days to encourage voter turnout and community engagement. “Transportation should not be an obstacle to
participating in elections,” said Mayor Jon Costas at the Board of Public Works and Safety where the decision
was made. “We want to encourage our community to participate in government at the local level and beyond,”
he said.
The idea of offering free transit was introduced by City Council Member Barbara Domer (District 3) who advanced
the idea for general elections. When the idea was introduced, the board chose to extend the free service to both
general and primary elections. This decision means rides on Valparaiso’s dedicated V-Line will be free on
Tuesday, November 5,2024 and all future elections, until further notice. For bus schedules and routes, visit
ValpoTransit.com.

10/20/2024

Chili Cook-Off TODAY! 2:00 PM Banta Activity Center @ 605 Beech Street; October Minutes
Hello Banta Neighborhood!

Today is the day!

Join us at the Banta Center (605 Beech St) TODAY, Sunday, October 20th from 2 pm to 4:30 pm for our 2nd annual Neighborhood Chili Cook-off! Last year it was just the Banta vs. Central neighborhoods but it is open to all neighborhoods this year! You do not have to live in either the Banta or Central neighborhood to attend or even compete. The College Hill Neighborhood Association will be providing cornbread for the event. Banta Baker will be providing desserts. Bowls, spoons, cups, napkins, and some drinks will be provided.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances the parking lot for the Banta Activity Center is currently closed for repaving and is not usable. If you can walk to this event or drop off your chili and supplies and walk over, we would greatly appreciate it as parking will be limited to surrounding street parking.

We've had questions about last minute entries. Yes, if you are that enthusiastic about bringing a last minute chili, we can accommodate. But please still sign up with this form! https://forms.gle/bfv8Qks5GT6dzEND8

IF YOU ARE PLANNING OR HAVE SUBMITTED A CHILI:
Please bring a standard size crock pot full of your chili. You are welcome to bring any toppings that compliment your chili, ie, shredded cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers, saltines, etc. We will be providing a sign, ladles, spoon rests, table covers, extension cord, for you. Please arrive between 1:30 and 2 pm to drop off your chili.

Winner will be chosen by popular vote. The prize is an awesome trophy and bragging rights for having the best chili. You do not have to stay the whole time but it'd be nice if you did!

Interested in helping out? A volunteer sign up form can be found here:
https://forms.gle/GUaSaeYkqtViDhwB6

Please also find attached our October 2025 meeting minutes. We covered a lot of topics which you can review in our meeting minutes, but we'd like to highlight that we are accepting submissions for our summer Garden Walk next year in July and a reminder that early voting has begun in Indiana, with the election date on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, from 6 AM to 6 PM. Don't forget to vote!

See you today at 2:00 PM at the Banta Activity Center, 605 Beech Street.

Alexander Steciuch
BNA President

What is the Banta Neighborhood?

The Banta neighborhood is a historical Valparaiso neighborhood located in the heart of Valparaiso. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. It is defined by the borders of Morgan Boulevard to the west, Lincolnway Highway to the south, Roosevelt Road to the east, and the railroad that intersects Morgan and Calumet to the north. It is anchored by the Banta Activity Center, a nearly 100 year old brick school building, at 605 Beech Street which lends its name to the neighborhood.

What is the Banta Neighborhood Association?

The Banta Neighborhood Association (BNA) is a nonprofit community organization established by the residents of the Banta neighborhood to meet regularly and discuss issues directly affecting our neighborhood, the city, and its citizens, as well as a place to get to know our neighbors and advocate for improvements for the neighborhood.

The BNA also actively hosts regular events and volunteer opportunities to highlight and improve the neighborhood, as well as bring all of our residents closer together. The BNA is NOT a homeowners association and is run entirely by volunteers. There are no dues. The BNA is not a political, religious or otherwise aligned organization and is open to any and all residents of the Banta neighborhood.

The BNA regularly meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 5:30 at the Banta Activity Center, 605 Beech Street. The meetings run from 5:30-7:00. Food, refreshments, and dessert are provided. The meetings cover an established agenda that is published beforehand and may include a guest speaker, such as candidates for political office, local elected officials and leaders, experts, and others who can provide information and guidance to the organization. The meetings are open to the community, even those who do not live in the Banta neighborhood but are interested in our group, neighborhood, or guest speaker.

What is the Banta Activity Center?

The Banta Activity Center is a historical school building owned and operated by the Valpo Parks Department. The Center operates senior enrichment programs during the day from 9 AM - 3 PM for adults ages 50 and up for an annual ($60) or semi-annual ($35) membership fee. The Center offers a variety of services and programs for seniors as part of their membership, including card games, bingo, mahjong, ping pong, writing workshops, movies, dancing, exercise, and complimentary lunches (with a suggested donation of $1.50).

The Center also offers youth enrichment activities after school and is available to be rented out to the community, offering a multi-purpose room with kitchen and restroom access for family or group functions. There is also a playground adjacent to the Center which has been improved over the years with grants applied for by the BNA with the cooperation of the City of Valparaiso and the Valpo Parks Dept.

Use this sheet to sign up to bring a CHILI to the second annual Banta vs Central Chili Cook-off on October 20th. Sign up by Oct16th. If you would have any questions or issues submitting this form, please contact the BNA ([email protected]) or Megan S. (812-593-9186). We will dis...

07/21/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRNy8v_Ocgg

Like myself, I'll bet most of you are probably not aware of into whom this "Wonder-Boy" is indebted?

Rachel Maddow reviews the remarkably sparse qualifications J.D. Vance offers both as a campaign partner and as a potential vice president (and even a senator...

07/16/2024

https://portage.life/article/joint-statement-by-valparaiso-mayor-jon-costas-and-city-council-president-robert-cotton/

We stand together as leaders of Valparaiso to condemn the violence against former President Donald Trump and those attending the rally in Pennsylvania. Such actions have no place in our society. Violence, regardless of its target, is unacceptable and counterproductive to the values we hold dear. We....

07/10/2024

Valparaiso Council members consider applications for opioid settlement funds
https://www.lakeshorepublicmedia.org/local-news/2024-07-09/valparaiso-council-members-consider-applications-for-opioid-settlement-funds

Excerpt:"Valparaiso Now page
Valparaiso officials are reviewing funding requests from organizations looking to help those with substance use disorder. City council members Peter Anderson and Barbara Domer are going through applications for some of the city's opioid settlement money, before making recommendations to the full council.

During Monday's council meeting, Domer noted that many of the applications aim to expand the availability of counseling. "Is there a way that this counseling can be on a more coordinated level, as opposed to in specific organizations?" Domer wondered.

She also wants to make sure the money is used to expand services, rather than fund existing programs. "I want to do as much as I can to help the people who are suffering from this awful disease, and I'm just kind of working through the applications and saying to myself, 'How does this happen?'" Domer added.

But Council President Robert Cotton felt the city needs to decide how much money to give away at a time and how to evaluate the applications. "Quite frankly, I believe the applications have come out and been simply requested prior to us having a fundamental structure, a fundamental understanding of what we will be looking for, consistent with what these principles are for saving lives," Cotton said.

Cotton suggested hiring someone with expertise to make sure the money is distributed fairly. "After all, 500,000 people have died, so it's not free money," Cotton said. "This is — I don't want to say blood money — but certainly, there's a great amount of responsibility that comes along with the source of these funds."

He also wanted to make sure some funding goes toward prevention programs for youth."

Valparaiso officials are reviewing funding requests from organizations looking to help those with substance use disorder. City council members Peter Anderson and Barbara Domer are going through applications for some of the city's opioid settlement money, before making recommendations to the full cou...

06/25/2024

June City Talk Now


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Featured Updates:

Paving Projects Underway

Record Paving Season Underway

The City of Valparaiso is embarking on its largest-ever paving season, appropriating $8.8 million to fund an aggressive schedule of sidewalk and roadway improvements that include collector, arterial and neighborhood streets. The aggressive budget of nearly $9 million reflects a renewed priority on roadways, compared to about $3.5 million in previous years. The paving projects started in June and will include more than 32 lane miles of roadway and 1.3+ miles of sidewalk. The City’s Engineering Department has created an interactive map showing roadway projects, including life-extending crack sealing, as well as sidewalk projects. View the interactive project map.

July 4th Celebration
Join the Valparaiso community for one of the best entertainment and fireworks shows in the area! Event kicks off at 5 pm with live music, food trucks, and patriotic events leading up to the show.

Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:15pm by ACE Pyro LLC.

Looking forward to celebrating our freedom!

Date: Thursday, July 4, 2024 (weather permitting)
Time:
5 pm parking and over 25 food trucks open
6:30 pm Patriotic activities and live music
9:15 pm Fireworks, bring your chair or blanket!
*Time is estimated
Location: Urschel field, Valparaiso Street and Vale Park Road
Parking: Free Event Public Parking, 2505 Valley Drive. There will also be a limited amount of golf cart parking available.
Please note that Vale Park Rd. will be closed to all motorized vehicles as well as bicycles that day. Bicycle parking is located at the corner of Vale Park Rd. and Valparaiso St. More information about the city's golf cart ordinance can be found HERE.

Valpo Parks Compost

Composting Initiative at the Valparaiso Market

The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County and Valpo Parks have partnered to launch a food waste composting initiative. On Tuesdays, during the Valparaiso Market, participants can bring their container of food waste to the district volunteer booth. From there, the weight of the waste is measured and contents are assessed to ensure they are compostable through this program. The final food waste gets delivered to a Valpo Parks site where it begins composting, becoming a nutrient rich soil amendment for the Horticulture Department to utilize in garden beds across the city.
National Night Out Aug. 6
Celebrate National Night Out in Your Neighborhood

Save the date for National Night Out with Valparaiso Police Department on Tuesday, August 6. Neighborhood groups are invited to participate in this annual event, bringing communities and police together under positive conditions, creating an exchange of ideas and developing partnerships. Officers travel around the city visiting block parties, cookouts and ice cream socials, while enjoying the opportunity to connect with residents. Contact Captain Joe Hall by July 17 if your neighborhood would like to participate in the fun this year!

Public Meeting Accessibility

The City of Valparaiso continues to expand public meeting accommodations for residents. Recent upgrades include the option to stream public meetings with closed captioning and access to audio enhancing headphones for meetings taking place in the Council Chambers. If there are additional accommodations that would be valuable to you, please contact us.

Utility Box Art Expansion

The City of Valparaiso’s Art Advisory Committee has expanded the City’s Utility Box Art program, adding 24 additional works created by local artists. The program was created by the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission in 2016 to promote public art and local artists. The expansion features utility boxes throughout the entire community, showcasing designs from 19 local artists, two Valparaiso Community School students and designs curated by the Porter County Museum and Valpo Parks Department. Learn more about the expansion and view a map of locations and featured artists.

Neighborhood Watch
Hawthorne North celebrated the start to summer by hosting an ice cream truck for neighbors to enjoy!

Kingsridge hosted a block party and bike parade to bring neighbors together, utilizing the City's Know Your Neighbor Grant opportunity.

Banta and Central coordinated neighborhood garage sales, check out this promotional map Banta used to highlight their event.

02/21/2024

I appreciate this coverage of our recent meeting, but it doesn't appear to have adequately differentiated the premise and purposes for the professional services appropriation.

Early on, during my first term, the need for access to outside legal council became apparent, as well as, the need for a study to inform taxpayers on how our sprawling TIF impacts everything and everyone outside of the districts.

Our fiscal branch does not serve at the pleasure of the executive branch. We are hired by the public vote to be an independent, check and balance, decision making body. As it is for every other decision-making body and throughout our agency, it is a prudent practice to provide a reasonable budget for access to professional services.

We are proposing a not-to-exceed amount of $50M for legal professional services, and $100M to facilitate access to consultants as deemed necessary by a majority vote of council.
An example for where outside expertise may be necessary is to help determine the dynamic impact for how our use of TIF impacts everything outside of the redevelopment area. The answer to this question ,heretofore unanswered, is critically important to assure that our deployment of incentives, almost exclusively on high-end development, isn't actually contributing to the housing affordability gap for residents at or below the median income.

Excerpt:"Valpo council wrangling over need for dual attorney representation
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/02/10/valpo-council-wrangling-over-need-for-dual-attorney-representation/

Excerpt:"
Before proceeding with the ordinance, Cotton said he received assurance from Mayor Jon Costas and Lyp that the appropriation, in the amount requested, is “perfectly reasonable.”

“The amount for legal services is a not-to-exceed amount of $50,000.00. The balance of $100,000 provides the wherewithal to engage the opinions of experts on matters that at least 4 out of 7 of our council members agree to be necessary,” Cotton said.

Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune."

Valparaiso City Council members disagree about an item on Monday’s meeting agenda for possibly securing additional legal representation in addition to the salary of Valparaiso City Attorney Patrick…