Lake County wants to extend park into Porter County

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Updated: March 4, 2012 8:13AM

VALPARAISO — The Lake County Parks Department would like to extend the Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park into Porter County.

Lake County officials want to acquire 20 acres of state land that is inaccessible except through the park, over a mile of private land or via the Kankakee River.

On Thursday, Robert Nickovich, superintendent and secretary to the Lake County board, asked the Porter County Park Board for its blessing on securing the land.

The land is on the northeast end of the almost 2,100 acres of the Lake County park that extends for 6.6 miles along the Kankakee River, and the hunters allowed on the park land often make the mistake of walking onto it.

Indiana is looking to divest itself of certain properties, and Lake County would like to incorporate it into the park.

“It’s still going to be in the public domain, but it’ll be managed by us,” Nickovich said.

At 20 acres, it’s too small for a wildlife preserve, and should Porter County want the land for a park, Lake County would cede the land to them, he said.

He thinks Lake County could also manage the park land more cheaply and efficiently than the state.

The park board gave its approval for Lake County to procure the land from Indiana, but the Porter County Board of Commissioners will have to vote to approve it.

Park Board member David Canright said he appreciated Lake County officials coming to Porter County for approval before conducting business with the state, and he expressed hope that this meant future cooperation between the two counties, especially with Lake County’s bigger department and more expertise.

One reason Lake County has a better parks system is it began acquiring park land before the state’s property tax caps, and Porter County can’t afford to buy land to connect this park land with the nearest road, County Road 1200S, a mile north, Canright said.

“We’re never going to be in a position to manage that,” he said.

Board member Craig Kenworthy was the sole dissenting vote.

“I have a problem giving Porter County land to Lake County,” Kenworthy said. “This is a hard sell.”

Nickovich said that when hunters are allowed on the Grand Kankakee Marsh Land, they sign a waiver that insures them while on the land.

Although the Lake County Parks Department has not had trouble insuring them if they stray onto the 20 acres in question, with Lake County owning that land, it will be easier to post markers and keep hunters off private lands, he said.