Just beyond the Indiana Dunes National Park’s Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education is the most beautiful part of the park, said Jason Taylor, superintendent of the national park.
A new pedestrian bridge will help connect more residents to the park’s beauty.
“The bridge isn’t really the main point,” Taylor said. “You can now safely, easily and quickly get from the parking lot area to the Paul H. Douglas Trail through the woods, where things get really special.”
Taylor, with help from park and city of Gary officials, on Monday cut the ribbon on a new pedestrian bridge. Because of the bridge, the Douglas Center can safely host school children attending ranger-led education programs and offer public programming.
The bridge crosses over Lake Street in Gary.
Between the bridge and other upgrades, more than $4 million have been invested into the facility, Taylor said. The upgrades took several years to complete.
The Douglas Center is located in Gary, which is part of the park’s westernmost end.
Erika Blackwell, chief communications officer for the city of Gary, said the Miller Woods is one of her favorite places in the city.
“This place is very special to me,” Blackwell said. “It’s a place that I think most people outside of Gary don’t know about. We’re so lucky to have this in the city of Gary.”
Blackwell has talked with multiple people who grew up in Gary, especially the Miller neighborhood, which is just outside the national park. The park and Douglas Center are important to the community, she said.
Gary sits in a strategic position for Northwest Indiana, Blackwell said, and the city is home to an airport, highways and the national park.
“We are so grateful for this partnership and what it does for our community,” Blackwell said about the Indiana Dunes National Park. “We’re looking forward to deepening our relationship and partnership, and finding more opportunities for us to help educate our children and introduce them to environmental education here in Indiana.”
Park Ranger Kip Walton is excited to serve more people through the Douglas Center, which is closed but reopening on Nov. 23, he said. The center was closed because of the bridge construction.
“It’s going to be great,” Walton said. “It’s going a hustling and bustling area because of all the visitors we’re going to have coming through.”
Gary Councilwoman Lori Latham, D-1st, said the national park is “incredibly important” to her, both as a councilwoman and citizen. The Miller neighborhood is part of Latham’s district.
Latham has fond memories of visiting the park on field trips as a child, she said. As a mother, Latham would bring her children to the Douglas Center for programs.
“I always say that Miller Woods made me a better mother,” she said. “I can bring the kids to a program at the Douglas Center and then go into Miller Woods and, sometimes, for the first time in my day, it’s quiet, and I’m alone.”
The Douglas Center and national park are a gift for the 1st District, Latham said. She believes the bridge will help increase visitors, and will provide more learning opportunities for Gary’s young community members.
“Having the bridge shut down left a huge void for us in the community,” Latham said. “Opening it again will be great.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
