We are so very fortunate to live where we do. Our neighbors and those who lived here before us have done exceptional work to not only preserve the gorgeous, historical physical structures that surround us, but also to sustain a safe, inclusive, and supportive sense of community. From the enhancements to the commercial block of Washington Street, to the restoration of single family homes by several new families, and from the redevelopment of the old St. Paul’s school, to the modernization of Central Elementary, significant new investments are proof-positive that Central Neighborhood is the most desirable place to live in Valparaiso.

In the 18 months or so, since we re-engaged and re-organized the neighborhood association, we have accomplished quite a bit:

• We increased our social media presence and engagement on Facebook and NextDoor apps
• We launched a brand new website at centralneighborhood.org
• We used this new platform to publish a blog post making the case to save home at 105 Michigan Avenue, drafted a petition that gained some 350 or so signatures, and, most importantly, successfully reversed the library’s plans move or destroy the home
• We used our regular monthly meetings to host conversations with community leaders, including some from Central Elementary, the Valpo Police Department, the library’s board of trustees, and the developer of the St. Paul’s Square project
• We hosted several social events making many new, meaningful connections
• We re-established our active legal good standing of the non-profit corporation with Secretary of State and Department of Revenue

We owe a great debt of gratitude to the people who came before us and organized our neighborhood. We are a model that other neighborhoods around the city are looking to emulate. And, yet, there is still so much more that we can do. For example,

• We can re-iterate and re-emphasize the imperative to maintain Central Elementary as a vibrant neighborhood school
• We can work on calming the traffic on our neighborhood streets
• We can help each other more with household maintenance and improvement projects
• We can create a pool of shared tools and other resources for borrowing by neighbors when needed
• We can petition for and work to create a railroad quiet zone along the old Grand Trunk Western, now CN, line
• We can engage new neighbors proactively and gather together socially even more often to get to know one another better
• and more…

We will never agree with one another on everything. That’s not the point. The point is to know each other so that, when we differ, we can live together peacefully, share our common ground, and continue working on our common goals.

It is my pleasure and privilege to serve in this role.

All the best,
Bill Durnell
President, Central Neighborhood Association
Get involved. Make history.

UPDATE: Since first posting this, the CNA worked closely with members of the Porter County Library System’s board of trustees. They attended our meetings, listened to our concerns, and ultimately reversed course on their plans to move or raze the home at 105 Michigan. As of the July 2017 library board meeting, steps were being actively taken by the board to ready the home for sale as an in-tact, in-place residence. Sometimes, things actually do work out for the better. Thank you to all who helped make a difference!

For a century now, a public library has stood at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in Valparaiso’s historic Central neighborhood.  The original building, made possible by generous community contributions and a grant from the famous industrialist and public library advocate, Andrew Carnegie, was torn down in 1994 to make way for the modern structure which stands there today.  Throughout its time here, the neighbors and the broader community benefited from have such close proximity and free access to the library’s volumes of books, periodicals, music, cinema, and other educational and historical artifacts.

In recent years, however, the long-standing good relations between the library and the people of the neighborhood where it stands have soured.  Fueled by competing visions of the neighborhood, an asymmetrical balance of power in favor of the institution’s board of trustees, and ever-increasing mutual distrust, a serious conflict involving the fate of one of the neighborhood’s historic homes has erupted.  This isn’t the first time Central neighbors have seen such threats.  But, as with past challenges, neighbors and other concerned citizens are coming together with determination to save not only this beautiful home, but also the integrity and character that makes downtown Valparaiso a uniquely walkable and livable space in Northwest Indiana.

In 2011 the Porter County Public Library System purchased the residence located at 105 Michigan Street.  The purchase was the first step of an ambitious master plan that would significantly change the neighborhood.  The plan centered, not on expanding the contents of the library’s archives or enhancing the readership of the community, but rather on dramatically increasing the number of parking spaces for cars.  In the coming years, they would go on to acquire several other adjacent properties spending some $0.7 million of Porter County taxpayers’ funds and consuming nearly an entire city block to make way for their parking field of dreams.

In recent months additional details of the master plan began to emerge and take shape.  And, from the neighborhood’s perspective, it is a heart-breaking sight.  The library released two versions of the site plan — one showing the 105 Michigan home still standing, but with a new driveway passing unbelievably close to its Southern elevation and another, even more audacious vision, showing the house gone in exchange for a handful of extra spaces for cars and what appears to be a drainage swale.  By July 2016, demolition on the site had begun, with the former Lemster’s flower shop, another mixed-use building on Franklin Street and the garage of the fated residence quickly made into rubble.  The house itself was, for the time being at least, spared from the wrecking ball.

The obsession with ultra-convenient parking is an all too familiar and unfortunate phenomenon in our American cities.  According to Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns and an expert on urban planning, “free parking isn’t free.”  Marohn says the cost of such plans “are not just the monetary cost of acquiring the land and building the spaces.  It also includes the massive amount of lost opportunity (tax base, jobs, enhanced destination) that devoting so much … area to parking involves.  Since cars and pedestrians don’t mix well, a diminished public realm is another significant cost for a parking-centric … development strategy.”

Another heavy burden is already being paid the people closest to the library.  As Central neighbor and homeowner at 107 Michigan, Dr. Robert Walsh, recently said, “the hardest thing about this is not having any people next-door to connect with.  When we first moved into our home, we were good friends with our neighbors, Steve and Denise Belke and their daughters Brooke and Haven.  My wife Kim and Denise were best friends.”

Dr. Walsh further explained, “it is sad to see the general decline of the lot and the home as there has not been much maintenance done at all.  The yard is really not taken care of and there is generally garbage in the back area.  The house is showing visible signs of deterioration.  It is also sad to see that all of the attention to detail and effort to bring it back to its original condition by the previous owners has been wasted due to the lack of maintenance and upkeep of the home by the library.”

The house is located in a Neighborhood Conservation zone, which according to the Unified Development Ordinance adopted by Valparaiso in 2009, is intended to “preserve existing residential character and discourage conversion of residential uses to other uses.”  While, technically, the zoning does not prevent an owner from demolishing a residence, it does prohibit non-residential uses without some special use permit or variance from the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (“BZA”).  The library board has indicated that they are confident that they can obtain the necessary accommodations to implement their plans.  But Valparaiso’s Central Neighborhood Association (“CNA”) intends to prove otherwise.

“We have a long and strong history of fighting for what we believe in.” said Bill Durnell, president of the CNA.  “It’s really sad.  I honestly cannot imagine how they came to this decision.  Our observations as close neighbors and frequent patrons of the library tell us that an available parking spot is rarely, if ever, more than a block or two away.  Yet they remain intent on either moving or razing this beautiful, historic home.  Neither of those outcomes is acceptable.  A family should be living there.  We are disheartened, disappointed and disturbed by this board’s actions and attitude,” Durnell continued.

“BZA is our last, best hope.   We intend to bring the full strength of our engaged citizens to bear on this issue to keep the home zoned as-is and return it to its original use as a family residence,” Durnell said.

To save 105 Michigan from the wrecking ball, please sign this Change.org petition.

Get involved. Make history.

We’ll be:

• Combing through archives at the library
• Interviewing long-time neighbors
• Making videos and photo montages
• Learning new things, and
• Having fun.

The project will culminate in a digital archive on this website highlighting the great people, connections and accomplishments of the CNA.  If this sounds interesting to you or you know someone who can help, please email us.

And here we are now. As I talk with people, many ask me what is the goal? Or, what do I want from the association? With so many assets, so much history, and so many currently and potentially engaged friends and neighbors, what do we do now? I hope to determine the answer to these questions together. But as a newly minted community leader, I am compelled to share my vision for Central Neighborhood and the CNA.

In short, I want to live in a neighborhood that is safe, inclusive and supportive for all its residents.

I want to live where every neighborhood kid is never more than a few doors away from a known safe harbor. I want to live where the drivers on our streets think about the people on our sidewalks. I want to live where people say something when they see something that just isn’t right because neighbors have each others’ backs.

I want to live where a neighbor is a neighbor whether they own their place or not. I want to live where conservatives and progressives don’t avoid or ignore each others’ views but recognize them and get along anyway because a neighborhood is the very definition of common ground.

I want to live where home improvement help is just a door knock away. I want to live where your neighbor will stand on top of a scaffold in the blazing sun holding that basketball hoop in place for a half-hour while you run to the store again to get the right-size bolts. I want to live where another neighbor will help you move yards-and-yards of sand so that new brick patio is nice and level. I want to live where the recent widow or widower is comforted knowing that maintaining their home of 40 years will be manageable with the help of a couple neighbors once in a while because real home improvement is about more than how things look; it’s about how people feel.

My goals for the CNA are simple:
1) I will honor the history of our predecessors by preserving the integrity and character of this great neighborhood, and
2) I will engage any one willing to talk in a conversation about how to make our neighborhood even more safe, inclusive and supportive than it already is.

That’s my vision for Central Neighborhood. What’s yours? Come to the next meeting or email me with your thoughts.

Bill Durnell
Interim president of the CNA