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Dunes State Park facility tries again for alcohol license

Associated Press, September 6, 2015


VALPARAISO – A Northwest Indiana board that deadlocked in June on whether to allow alcohol sales at the Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion that’s being restored by a private developer will reconsider that request Thursday.

The Porter County Alcoholic Beverage Board is scheduled to vote Thursday on Pavilion Partners LLC’s application for an alcohol license.

The board deadlocked 2-2 in a June 2 vote on the application request by the company, which is restoring the park’s pavilion and plans to build a banquet center at the site on Lake Michigan’s southern shoreline.

The tie vote sent the matter to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, The (Munster) Times reports.

That panel voted 4-0 to send the license request back to the county board for a second public hearing and vote.

https://www.facebook.com/DunesAction

Save the Dunes has been monitoring the proposed renovation and expansion of the Indiana Dunes State Park Pavilion project. Our official position at this time is described below:

http://bit.ly/1KscDxH

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[Southsider2k12]

Hopefully this gets denied. Kill this project, please. That is going to be an absolute monstrosity. Honestly the building there is now is terrible. The first thing you should see when you drive into a beach like that is the lake front, not some big block building. I get that now it is considered "historical" and all of that, but that one shouldn't be there either.

City got it right with their new venue. The State of Indiana could learn something from us on how to present their lakefront.

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Its all about the REVENUE. First the liquor license....then the slot machines....bet on it.

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EDITORIAL: Alcohol permits could remove hurdles to progress at state parks

The Times Editorial Board

Government bodies frequently relax rules and lower hurdles in the name of inducing progress and development.

Our city and town councils sometimes offer tax breaks or other amnesties in the name of attracting businesses that bring new jobs, a broader tax base or a higher quality of life for residents.

The goal is no different under a bill, which already passed the Indiana House and is in the hands of the Senate, that would create a new tool for attracting visitors and generating revenue at Indiana State Parks.

The measure would allow the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to obtain a new "state park" classification of alcohol permit to sell liquor at any or all of its facilities. Alcohol and other sales are an important part of the formula for repairing and developing the crumbling Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion into a destination spot.

The bill would allow the DNR to bypass traditional rules for obtaining alcohol permits — including local review.

The issue looms large for the future fortunes of Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, where developers plan to renovate the old pavilion with a banquet hall, restaurant and other amenities.

Indiana senators should consider passing this bill on to the governor as a bipartisan measure to invigorate our state park system as a whole.

The Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion represents a public-private partnership that could make a beautiful state park more user-friendly and attract more users — which should be the goal of any government recreational facility.

Some Region folks, opposed to the development of the pavilion in general, argue the pending House bill would bypass the ability of people to oppose such liquor licenses in traditional hearings.

But the reality is a number of these critics already testified against the bill in House committee earlier this year. They're getting their say on the matter, as they should in any democratic system.

In the end, our state parks, like any other entity trying to survive and attract attendance and revenue, must evolve with the times, or they most certainly will crumble and fade.

The concept of a new classification of state park liquor permits could provide an evolving way of growing attendance and commerce.

[Southsider2k12]

I love how state government that is all about local control when it comes to overruling what Washington wants to do, is trying to override local control at the Dunes when it is something against something they want done.

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Should state parks be allowed to obtain special alcohol permits ?

VOTE:

http://bit.ly/1o7l3AV

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Tourism on rise in Porter County

Stan Maddux Times Correspondent

CHESTERTON — Not only are more tourists coming here, but they're staying longer and spending more money.

That was one of the messages of Lorelei Weimer, the executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism, during her State of Tourism address Thursday at Riley's Railhouse, an upscale bar and grill in downtown Chesterton.

She said there were 6.3 million visitors to the area in 2015 with nearly half going to the Indiana Dunes.

Tourism last year contributed $386 million to Porter County's economy and resulted in 4,962 jobs.

One of the strategies implemented to grow tourism is a rebranding in 2015 that carries the theme Indiana Dunes Beaches & Beyond.

The idea is enticing people once they're here to venture out and discover what else is offered here, said Weimer.

"That beyond is a critical part of our brand," said Weimer.

She said there's also been a concerted effort to promote local restaurants to change an image that Porter County doesn't have a lot of good places to eat.

Last year also marked continued heavier use of social media to post scenic pictures and other information to get the word out along with traditional publications and broadcast media.

Images of the lakefront almost always take center stage in promoting the area, she said.

Weimer said more than 88 thousand people from 46 countries strolled into the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center last year.

The highest percentage of foreigners were from Germany.

"That's surprising. You'd think it would be Canada," said Weimer.

She said the Indiana Dunes Tourism website also had more than a half million visitors in 2015, up 15 percent from the previous year and the use of mobile devices to access the webpage was up by 60 percent.

Most of the referrals to the website were from Facebook.

She said contests and other events like the Culinary Tour featuring 21 restaurants and the 3 Dune challenge were among the things developed not only to generate interest from more tourists but to extend their stay.

This year promises to be even better with several milestones to promote and celebrate like Indiana's bicentennial and the 100th birthday of the Indiana Dunes State Park.

She also unveiled plans for a $1.6 million redesign of the visitor center so it's more of a showcase for the area with plenty of exhibits and other things like interactive displays.

She ended her presentation by asking people who have guests to show them around Porter County for things to do instead of going straight to Chicago.

''We're bringing in more visitors. We're extending their stay and getting them to spend more money,'' Weimer said.

http://www.indianadunes.com/assets/Beyondt...Guide-20131.pdf

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Dunes pavilion alcohol permit not yet issued

Dan Carden


INDIANAPOLIS — Northwest Indiana residents will have a final opportunity to tell state officials their thoughts on a plan to allow alcohol sales at a renovated Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion.

A state law that took effect July 1 requires the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, without public input, to automatically grant the Department of Natural Resources a permit for beer, wine or liquor sales at any state park if the DNR asks for one.

However, during legislative debate on the new statute, DNR officials promised lawmakers the agency would present its alcohol in the parks plan to the 12-member Indiana Natural Resources Commission, the regulatory board that oversees the DNR, before requesting the permits.

That presentation is set for 9 a.m. Region time July 19 in the ballroom at Fort Harrison State Park, 6002 N. Post Road, Indianapolis.

“There will be an opportunity for public comment to commission members at that time. That’s not a requirement of the new law, but it’s something we said would be done,” said Phil Bloom, DNR communications director.

The commission does not appear to have the authority to permanently block Dunes alcohol sales, since the law mandates DNR receive an alcohol permit if it requests one, but the commission’s response and public reaction to the plan could influence the agency’s decision to seek a permit.

“We’ll take any guidance we get from the commission, and take into account the public comment, in consideration of when we then apply to the ATC for the state park alcohol permit,” Bloom said.

Earlier this year, nearly 10,000 Region residents signed petitions urging the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Gov. Mike Pence, also a Republican, to reject the plan for alcohol at the Dunes pavilion, citing the potential for drunks on the beach, increased drownings and new competition for nearby businesses.

After Pence signed the measure into law, Dunes Action!, a coalition of Northwest Indiana residents opposed to alcohol in the park and the possibility that a banquet center will be constructed next to the pavilion, condemned Pence for “selling out family-friendly state parks for booze.”

Pavilion Partners, which has a 35-year lease with the DNR to renovate the historic Dunes pavilion and operate various dining and event spaces there, twice was denied an alcohol sales permit last year by the Porter County Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, whose district includes the park, said Pence is wrong to send the message that if you can’t win with local officials who know what their communities need, come to the state and you’ll get it, anyway.

Supporters of the project include local building trades unions, Region tourism organizations and the state’s commerce agency, among others.

Bloom emphasized the new law is not specific to the Dunes pavilion.

He said its purpose is to streamline the process for visitors hosting events at the seven state parks with inns, and outdoor spaces at those parks, to serve alcohol to their guests.

“This is a response to our constituents and customers that visit all of our parks that have asked for this convenience,” Bloom said. “This was never intended to be an Indiana Dunes-only alcohol bill.”

He said even if the DNR ultimately obtains an alcohol sales permit for Indiana Dunes State Park, which contains 2,182 acres on Lake Michigan in Porter County, alcohol availability will be severely limited.

“Dunes will still have the most restrictive conditions of any park in the state. Alcohol will still be prohibited on the beach, prohibited in the campground, prohibited throughout the park,” Bloom said. “The only places would be the pavilion and the leased banquet center.”

Bloom said no alcohol changes will take effect at the Dunes during the 2016 park season.

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State issues Dunes pavilion alcohol sales license

Dan Carden

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission unanimously agreed Tuesday to issue a license to sell beer, wine and liquor at a renovated Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion.

The new license was awarded to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in accordance with a law signed in March by Republican Gov. Mike Pence mandating the commission issue a "state park" alcohol permit for the Dunes pavilion if the DNR requested one.

"They did comply with everything we've asked for in the application process and at this point they are complete," said Commission Chairman David Cook moments before the permit approval vote.

House Enrolled Act 1386 explicitly removed local participation from the state park alcohol licensing decision after strident opposition last summer prompted the Porter County Alcoholic Beverage Commission to deny a permit to Pavilion Partners, the company chosen by the DNR to renovate and operate bars and restaurants in the historic Lake Michigan pavilion with plans to add an adjacent banquet center.

That didn't stop Norman Hellmers, of Valparaiso, from writing to the commission on behalf of Dunes Action!, a group opposed to alcohol in the park, asking the permit be denied to protect the "sacred rights" of Hoosiers to safe, non-commercial state parks.

"The changes to the Indiana Code were forced through the General Assembly to satisfy personal needs unrelated to what is best for the citizens of the state," Hellmers said.

The commissioners, who last October affirmed the Porter County decision denying Pavilion Partners an alcohol sales permit, seemed sympathetic to Hellmers' point but acknowledged their hands were tied.

In a last-ditch suggestion, Commissioner Marjorie Maginn proposed holding final approval of the DNR Dunes permit until Pavilion Partners agreed to drop the pending appeal of its earlier permit denial.

She ultimately acquiesced after Cook pointed out that issuing the DNR permit makes the Pavilion Partners appeal moot, because the same site cannot be licensed twice by different entities.

The new law allows Pavilion Partners to use the DNR permit to sell alcohol at the Dunes pavilion, which is expected to open next year.

Alcohol opponents still can try to persuade the Indiana Natural Resources Commission to reject final adoption of its preliminarily approved rule allowing alcohol consumption in and near the pavilion, but not on the beach or elsewhere in Indiana Dunes State Park.

They are unlikely to succeed, however, because a commission majority includes either state employees working for the governor or citizens selected by him, and he already has signaled his approval for the pavilion project, including alcohol availability.