Creating More Livable Regions
2017 Indiana MPO Conference
September 26-28, 2017
Stardust Event Center, Michigan City
Mobile Tour Options
Michigan City Walking Tour - (limit 40 participants)
Lace up your walking shoes and join us in discovering what makes Michigan City "Indiana's great lakefront destination community"! This tour will showcase the improvements and exciting developments within the downtown area. Discover the downtown's revival of the city's arts and cultural district and how it's contributing to community life in Michigan City like never before.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) Shops / Double Tracking - (limit 20 participants)
This workshop will take you to the Michigan City maintenance shop for NICTD, Northern Indiana's commuter railroad. You will learn about what it takes to keep the equipment going and walk through equipment, including one of the cars recently modified as part of the Bikes on Trains project. After touring the shop, there will be a brief bus tour along the South Shore Line's route through Michigan City, where you can see the railroad's legendary last section of street running while learning what is in store for the corridor as part of NICTD's double tracking project.
Please note: closed-toe shoes are required. Other safety equipment will be provided at the shop.
CM I 3
Port of Indiana Tour - (limit 26 participants)
Take a bus tour of the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, which provides Indiana with a vital link to the St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the Inland Waterways System. Port staff will explain the vital link it provides in Indiana's freight network. This is a great chance to see where freight and industry come together, helping drive the economic engine of the region and the state.
IMPORTANT! A photo ID is required for this tour. This is a rain or shine event; participants will be on the bus for the entire trip.
CM I 3
Green Infrastructure / Stream Restoration Tour - (limit 26 participants)
Join us on a tour of green infrastructure and stream restoration projects located in Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan Watershed. Our first stop will explore a variety of green stormwater practices that have been incorporated into the design of the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. At our next stop, we will visit a daylighting stream restoration project along Dunes Creek in Indiana Dunes State Park. The tour will conclude with a stop at Striebel Pond in Michigan City where we'll learn how this flood control project has also become a recreational asset.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Green Fleets - (limit 20 participants)
Join us for a tour showcasing the success stories of the NIRPC Green Fleet program! The tour will first stop in the City of LaPorte for a tour of TransPorte, the city's public transportation hub which operates a bus fleet exclusively using propane obtained from the city's own fueling station. Then it is on the view the LaPorte's electric vehicle fleet and charging stations, which are working to save on fueling costs while saving the environment! The tour then leaves LaPorte for Michigan city for a tour of the City's compressed natural gas (CNG) station, which is being used to fuel part of its fleet. The city's electric vehicles and charging stations will also be featured.
Along the way, learn how the Green Fleets partnership works to significantly improve the environmental performance of public and private vehicle fleets, mitigate barriers that prevent adopting alternative fuels, advanced technology vehicles and equipment, all while creating policies that support petroleum and vehicle emission reductions and reduce operating costs.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Sept. 26-28
Creating More Livable Regions
Tuesday, September 26 - 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 26 - 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wilderness Inquiry Voyageur Canoes - (limit 50 participants)
Rivers and streams throughout Indiana formed the basis of the earliest trade and transportation routes. Experience transportation history and learn about stream restoration and management by paddling the Trail Creek Water Trail in a voyageur canoe. Participants will take a short walk to the Sprague Point Marina where they will hear a brief talk on "A Tale of Two Creeks", the Trail Creek Watershed Management Plan and implementation successes. Following that, they will board and paddle 24-foot long 10-passenger canoes with the assistance of Wilderness Inquiry guides. (These canoes are typically used for school groups -- no experience or skill is required.)
Unless lightning or flooding is present, this is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Marquette Plan: Quest for a Livable Lakefront - (limit 26 participants)
Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline is the region's gem. The Marquette Plan illustrates a compelling long-term, common vision to guide future decision making for the entire 53 miles of shoreline. This comprehensive vision is intended to create a lasting legacy that looks at each community individually and collectively, addressing both community-specific needs and broader regional objectives in order to reclaim Indiana's lakefront as a livable lakefront. The Plan is action oriented and geared to achieve tangible quality of life improvements for the residents of northwest Indiana.
This tour will explore two communities that have been transformed though redevelopment and reinvestment and brought vision into action. Come discover Gary's Marquette Park and the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk and learn how regional partnerships have made the Marquette Plan's vision into a reality.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
National Lakeshore / State Park Bike & Hike - (limit 26 participants)
Join us for the most active tour at the 2017 MPO Conference at the beautiful Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park! Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Superintendent, Paul Labovitz; Indiana Dunes Tourism Executive Director, Lorelei Weimer; and Indiana Dunes State Park Superintendent Brandt Baughman, will be sharing improvements made to the National Lakeshore, State Park and active transportation as well as past, present, and future projects that increase tourism and create a one-of-a-kind destination.
This tour includes a round-trip 24 mile bus ride; 6.5 miles of easy, flat bike riding on the Dunes Kankakee Trail; and a 2.2 mile moderately strenuous, low-incline dune hike at the Indiana Dunes State Park. There will be up to 39 rental bikes available for the tour. Helmets are provided as part of the bike rental. If those registered for the tour opt not to wear a helmet, NIRPC; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes Tourism are not liable for any Injuries.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Green Fleets - (limit 20 participants)
Join us for a tour showcasing the success stories of the NIRPC Green Fleet program! The tour will first stop in the City of LaPorte for a tour of TransPorte, the city's public transportation hub which operates a bus fleet exclusively using propane obtained from the city's own fueling station. Then it is on the view the LaPorte's electric vehicle fleet and charging stations, which are working to save on fueling costs while saving the environment! The tour then leaves LaPorte for Michigan city for a tour of the City's compressed natural gas (CNG) station, which is being used to fuel part of its fleet. The city's electric vehicles and charging stations will also be featured.
Along the way, learn how the Green Fleets partnership works to significantly improve the environmental performance of public and private vehicle fleets, mitigate barriers that prevent adopting alternative fuels, advanced technology vehicles and equipment, all while creating policies that support petroleum and vehicle emission reductions and reduce operating costs.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Wednesday, September 27 - 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wilderness Inquiry Voyageur Canoes - (limit 50 participants)
Rivers and streams throughout Indiana formed the basis of the earliest trade and transportation routes. Experience transportation history and learn about stream restoration and management by paddling the Trail Creek Water Trail in a voyageur canoe. Participants will take a short walk to the Sprague Point Marina where they will hear a brief talk on "A Tale of Two Creeks", the Trail Creek Watershed Management Plan and implementation successes. Following that, they will board and paddle 24-foot long 10-passenger canoes with the assistance of Wilderness Inquiry guides. (These canoes are typically used for school groups -- no experience or skill is required.)
Unless lightning or flooding is present, this is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Michigan City Walking Tour - (limit 40 participants)
Lace up your walking shoes and join us in discovering what makes Michigan City "Indiana's great lakefront destination community"! This tour will showcase the improvements and exciting developments within the downtown area. Discover the downtown's revival of the city's arts and cultural district and how it's contributing to community life in Michigan City like never before.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) Shops / Double Tracking - (limit 20 participants)
This workshop will take you to the Michigan City maintenance shop for NICTD, Northern Indiana's commuter railroad. You will learn about what it takes to keep the equipment going and walk through equipment, including one of the cars recently modified as part of the Bikes on Trains project. After touring the shop, there will be a brief bus tour along the South Shore Line's route through Michigan City, where you can see the railroad's legendary last section of street running while learning what is in store for the corridor as part of NICTD's double tracking project.
Please note: closed-toe shoes are required. Other safety equipment will be provided at the shop.
CM I 3
Progressive Sustainable Development in Northwest Indiana - (limit 26 participants)
This bus and walking tour will showcase progressive and sustainable planning in northwest Indiana and the ways in which planners, community actors, and various interests deploy these techniques and practices in different ways. From the modern country escape to a vibrant downtown, participants will take a journey through five unique areas. Tryon Farm is a historic landscape that has been transformed into a modern country escape for people who want to live in wide-open spaces, while staying connected to the urban area of Michigan City and the beach. Beachwalk is Indiana’s first “New Urbanism” beach community with its attention to detail in street development and commons. You will also have the opportunities to explore the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve, which includes a 157-acre complex of wetlands, woodlands, and prairie with more than 400 native plant species. You will walk the historic vibrant streets in downtown Valparaiso. Valparaiso has experienced several positive changes through rehabilitated building facades and streetscape improvements, which attracted more retail and restaurants to the downtown. By the end of the tour you will stop by the Village at Burns Harbor, a "Green Development” certified for environmental sustainability through high density, sustainable practices.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
National Lakeshore / State Park Bike & Hike - (limit 26 participants)
Join us for the most active tour at the 2017 MPO Conference at the beautiful Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park! Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Superintendent, Paul Labovitz; Indiana Dunes Tourism Executive Director, Lorelei Weimer; and Indiana Dunes State Park Superintendent Brandt Baughman, will be sharing improvements made to the National Lakeshore, State Park and active transportation as well as past, present, and future projects that increase tourism and create a one-of-a-kind destination.
This tour includes a round-trip 24 mile bus ride; 6.5 miles of easy, flat bike riding on the Dunes Kankakee Trail; and a 2.2 mile moderately strenuous, low-incline dune hike at the Indiana Dunes State Park. There will be up to 39 rental bikes available for the tour. Helmets are provided as part of the bike rental. If those registered for the tour opt not to wear a helmet, NIRPC; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes Tourism are not liable for any Injuries.
This is a rain or shine event. Please come prepared.
CM I 3
Before registering, please read through the options listed below in order to choose the tour for each time slot that most appeals to you.
TODAY IS THE DAY!
TODAY is the DAY!