The town of Porter offers something highly desirable that never fails to quickly sell out every year.
Porter Clerk-Treasurer Corinne Peffers announced at the Tuesday Porter Town Council meeting that the sale of beach parking permits will start on March 10.
For the first two weeks, only Porter residents can apply and it is done by mail. The application has to be downloaded from the town government website and proof of residency with driver’s license and vehicle registration must be provided.
In prior years before the mail-only procedure was established, the process resembled a scrum for coveted concert tickets as the lines would spill out of Town Hall.
The permit entitles the holder to a prime spot on the town’s parking lot, just steps from Porter Beach.
Porter Police Chief Todd Allen noted that while the permit is highly desired, the town’s lot offers plenty of parking space most of the time. The only times when the lot is crowded are holiday weekends, like the Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Because the lot is not heavily used on most occasions, the Porter Town Council decided to boost the number of permits available to 800 from 700. The town in 2022 increased the permits to 700 from 500.
The Porter Town Council also decided Tuesday to increase fees by $5 in all categories. Town of Porter residents will pay $50 per permit with a limit of two per household. Seniors will pay $25.
On March 24, the beach parking permit will be offered for sale to Indiana residents for $80. Out-of-state residents will pay $120.
Porter Beach became popular with Chicagol-area residents during the pandemic because Chicago beaches on Lake Michigan had been closed for a time.
Another change enacted by the council is that the applicant can pick up the permit at Town Hall or pay an extra $10 to have it delivered by certified mail. It is the first time the town is levying a fee to cover its expenses for certified mail.
The town ran into a snafu last year when a batch of permits ended up stuck for days in a Chicagoland post office. The town’s Clerk-Treasurer office was inundated with a flash flood of phone calls from applicants, wondering when their permit would come.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
