The city of Whiting celebrated renovations at Lakefront Park with an open house there on Wednesday. The open house was part of the city of Whiting’s 125th anniversary celebration.
“We wanted to celebrate and showcase the renovations to the park. A few years ago this was a gravel lot and the lake front wasn’t even visible and now we have this beautiful area. So today is just about getting people out and enjoying this space, everything from the play areas to the bike trails and the great view,” said Special Events Coordinator Mark Harbin.
The renovations to Lakefront Park were made possible by a grant from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA). In 2010, the RDA gave the city a grant to renovate the park as part of the Marquette series of renovations. The RDA’s aim was to restore and revitalized the region’s shorelines.
“Without the RDA none of this would have been possible, we owe them a huge thank you," said Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura. "They have really been a catalyst for not only the renovation of this park but also the surrounding areas as well. They literally changed our community. This event is about bringing people out to show them what we’ve been working on and showcase an area our community can now enjoy. This was all rubble before so to see how far the project has come and how great it looks it’s really special. You don’t realize the beautiful view that was just on the other side of all that rock until you clear it away."
Whiting residents who attended the event were not only impressed with the view, they were pleased about the variety of activities as well.
“I’ve been here for four years and the transformation has been amazing, to watch it change from what it was to this beautiful park is great. I feel like our Neighborhood is so much more kid and family friendly now. We’ve had parks before this one, but not on this scale, I mean the view of the lake is gorgeous. I’ll definitely be taking my kids here all the time,” said Whiting resident Karen Aldona.
Renovations to Whiting Lakefront Park include updates to the existing pavilion, a new concession stand, the Whihala Beach Boat Harbor and the symphony seating bowl. There are also plans under way to create a new restaurant at the park.