http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2005/01/17/news/lake_county/8069b8399ac9b96686256f8c0013ec4f.txt

Bike path a city priority
CROWN POINT: Crown Point Parks Director Julie Johnson hopes to see the 
bike trail built in the next two years

BY ALLISON FASHEK
[email protected]
219.662.5333

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, January 17, 2005 12:09 AM CST

CROWN POINT | Local residents concerned about how development west of 
the Lake County Government Complex might affect the Crown Point Bike 
Network have nothing to worry about, said Parks Director Julie Johnson.

Though Hawk Development Corp. has broken ground below 93rd Avenue for a 
potential banquet center, Johnson said the group is aware of the city's 
plans to run a segment of the bike trail through the area and plans to 
work around it.

Getting the portion of the trail in place that will run from 93rd Avenue 
near Chase Street and curve in behind Liberty Park to meet Summit Street 
is a major priority right now, Johnson said. But, instead of nearby 
development, it's obstacles such as figuring out who owns the land along 
the stretch and acquiring it that could mean it will be another two 
years before people in the region can use it.

The city obtained a federal grant of about $700,000 to build the 1.6 
mile segment of the trail in 2001. With trails on average costing 
$300,000 to $400,000 per mile to build, the city has enough funding, 
said Mitch Barloga, transportation planner for the Northwestern Indiana 
Regional Planning Commission. But acquisition will be a complicated 
process because there are two types of land involved, an abandoned rail 
line and in country, or virgin territory.

"With the Crown Point stretch you've got Liberty Park residents with 
claims to ownership, NIPSCO and Hawk," he said. "You have to tread very 
carefully. Unfortunately, these things do take time."

Johnson said the portion of the trail is particularly important because 
at 93rd Avenue it will connect with two other trails, the Pennsy 
Greenway and the Erie Lackawanna. The connection could encourage more 
people to come to Crown Point and tour the city.

"I look at it as my biggest challenge," Johnson said. "When we get this 
we can branch off to the rest."

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