August City Talk Now

August 2020

2020 Roadway Paving and Construction Updates

The City of Valparaiso continues to make progress on resurfacing more than 9 miles of roadway this season as part of our 2020 roadway paving and maintenance plan. Here are updates on some infrastructure improvements you can see around the city:

Community Crossings Matching Grant - The City received a 50/50 matching grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to complete the $1.5 million roadway project. All eight streets that were part of this program are currently being completed.
Campbell Street - Now that the road is freshly paved, crews will begin adding pavement markings on Campbell Street between Northview Drive and Vale Park Road, providing a continuous left turn lane.
City Paving Projects - An additional 4.6 miles of upgrades will be funded by the City this year. Milling and resurfacing will take place over the next several weeks.
Ransom Road - Funded with a 90% match from INDOT, Ransom Road between Froberg and Goodrich has added safety features with better resurfacing, lighting, rumble strips and signage.
US 30 - INDOT appears to be ahead of its October schedule and we may be seeing completion in the near future.
Silhavy Road - Funded with an 80% match from INDOT, Silhavy Road will be improved over the next two years between John Howell Drive and Evans Avenue.
Utilities - Valparaiso City Utilities (VCU) is substantially complete with the Del Vista Stormwater and Roadway Improvement project and is about to begin a stormwater infrastructure improvement project near Harrison West. Additionally, VCU is wrapping up its annual hydrant flushing program.

We appreciate your patience navigating the orange cones and necessary detours around the city this season!

Valpo Expands Short-Term Parking Downtown

To better serve downtown businesses and customers, the City of Valparaiso has expanded downtown parking options for short-term use. After speaking with business owners as well as shoppers, the City identified approximately 50 spaces throughout the downtown to be designated as 15-minute parking spots. The spaces have been marked with signage and pavement markings to help drivers easily identify them. The City will begin monitoring and enforcing the 15-minute spaces beginning Monday, August 24 and will reinstate all parking enforcement beginning Monday, September 7.

Lift Up Valpo Rally Cap Challenge

Want to support local restaurants and retail businesses? Participate in Valparaiso Events' Rally Cap Challenge to earn your cap and show your community pride! With every purchase made at a participating location, you can earn a Rally Card. Once you've collected five Rally Cards, visit the Valparaiso Events office at 150 W Lincolnway and turn them in to receive your very own Lift Up Valpo Rally Cap.

Valparaiso Police Department Earns CALEA Re-certification

This month, Valparaiso Police Department (VPD) received its re-certification with CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. VPD has held this special accreditation since 2010. Watch this recent Moment With The Mayor featuring Chief Balon to learn more about this outstanding accomplishment.

Child Safety Seat Checkup Event with Valparaiso Fire

Valparaiso Fire Department has teamed up with Franciscan Health Crown Point to offer a free child safety seat checkup event on August 27 from 10am-2pm. Call 219-462-8325 to schedule your appointment in advance. This is an opportunity for families to check in and make sure their child is in the right seat.

Back to School Traffic and Safety Reminder

Now that school is back in session, we want to remind our community of the role we all play in ensuring children get safely to school. Familiarize yourself with school start and stop times, know where crosswalks and school zones require you to slow your speed and do not practice distracted driving. Remember, state law requires motorists to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off children. Watch for school buses with their stop arm extended and red lights flashing, which means stop, not proceed with caution. This law applies to all roadways except those that are divided by a physical barrier or an unimproved median. Let's work together to ensure that our school-aged neighbors get to school safely!

Do Your Part to Keep Valpo Pedestrian Friendly

City officials and staff often hear concerns from residents regarding parked cars on driveways blocking sidewalks and pathways. As a general rule, parked vehicles must fit completely within a driveway without blocking public access to the sidewalk. Besides being an inconvenience for pedestrians, it creates an extra burden for people with disabilities to navigate. With that in mind, it might make sense for your HOA or POA to send out an annual reminder to neighbors so that everyone is doing their part. Let's help support our runners trying to set personal records and kiddos learning to ride their bikes on the sidewalks and pathways this year!

Neighborhood Watch

Valpo Parks is grateful to the volunteers that came out to spread mulch! Their hard work made a BIG difference for kiddos to enjoy fresh playgrounds at 200 East, Jessee-Pifer, Kirchhoff Park and Forest Park. Thank you to The Home Depot for donating the supplies to get the job done fast. We appreciate all who made this Neighborhood Park Volunteer Day such a success!

Mayor Murphy and members of the City Leadership Team have completed Neighborhood Walks in Pine Creek and College Hill to date this season. Learn more about Neighborhood Walks by viewing this recent Moment With The Mayor video.

Greenfield Creek recently completed their 2019 Neighborhood Grant project by installing two Little Free Libraries in the main common area. One is geared towards adults while the other is for children's books. An artist in the neighborhood volunteered to paint them and featured creative images from The Giving Tree.