Officials share plans for Indiana Dunes State Park project

PORTER, Ind. (AP) – The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is sharing its plans to add a banquet center at the Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion.

The department hosted an open house Monday to provide an overview of the facility’s history and to answer questions about the renovation project.

The pavilion is expected to reopen in June with a new concession area and “comfort center” including restrooms, showers and a family dressing room.

The (Munster) Times reports a family-style restaurant and a pavilion rooftop restaurant are expected to open next April.

The banquet center, which has drawn opposition from locals and an environmental group, will be built on the pavilion’s east side and will be elevated in an effort to maintain visibility of the beach and allow visitors to pass underneath the building.