Frequently Asked Fridays

Frequently Asked Fridays is a social media segment where residents can submit any questions they have for the city. Every Friday, the City of Crown Points answers the questions on our Facebook page, The City of Crown Point.

Click here to submit a question for Frequently Asked Fridays!

Q: Is there any plan to fix the intersection of Greenwood and Indiana avenues? It is really rough.

A: The approach on Greenwood Avenue that abuts Indiana Avenue is owned and maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation. For a list of all INDOT projects, or to report a concern, please visit https://www.in.gov/indot/.

Q: What plans are there to address the speeding/disregarding of stop signs on Washington Street? 

A: The Crown Point Police Department will put extra patrols along Washington Street. 

Q: Cars speeding around the square and surrounding residential streets (Main Street, Crown Street, North Street, South Street, East Street, West Street, Greenwood Avenue and Wells Street for examples) is out of control. What will/can the city do to improve the safety of people walking, children playing, etc., from these careless/reckless drivers. 

A: The Crown Point Police Department will put extra patrols in this area to ensure the safety of pedestrians. 

Q: I would like to know what the CPPD is doing about the influx of people moving here with Illinois license plates and not changing over to Indiana license plates. I see more and more homes that have cars in the driveway with Illinois plates and these cars have been there for over a year or more. 

A: New Indiana residents have 60 days to switch their residency from Illinois to Indiana. The Crown Point Police Department will continue to ensure residency is switched over in a timely manner. 

Q: Are there plans to fix and widen Delaware Parkway south of U.S. 231? It is so worn and heavily travelled. It’s becoming a hazard to get out of our subdivisions.

A: The City has plans to improve Delaware Parkway south of U.S. 231 in 2024/2025. Delaware Parkway north of U.S. 231 is slated to be paved in conjunction with intersection improvements this year.

Q: When will 107th Avenue going east along by the Fahrenheit restaurant back towards Delaware Parkway ever be completed?

A: As development continues to build up in the area, there will be contributions toward moving forward with the continuation of 107th Avenue. At this time, there is not a final completion date.

Q: Are there any retail clothing stores opening in Crown Point?

A:  As of today, there have not been any submittals for retail clothing stores, but it is not out of the question. It’s just a matter of waiting for a developer to come forward with one.

Q: Where can I find information on City-owned buildings for room rentals? For instance, I see there is a paint and sip event happening at Bulldog Park. Are there City-owned rooms to rent for residents who would like to host events as such?

A: The City of Crown Point offers community room and outdoor rentals at Bulldog Park. For rates, please visit https://www.crownpoint.in.gov/412/Facility-Rental. For availability, please call the PACE Department at 219-661-2271.

Q: On the roundabout section behind Stracks leading to the Hampton Inn, Delaware Parkway, the corner one has no lights on around it? It is very dark and hard to see at night. Is there a way to have the lights turned on?

A: The lights leading to the Hampton Inn near the roundabout are not controlled or maintained by the City of Crown Point. The City continues to work with our community partners in the Beacon Hill Business District to address the light schedule in the area.

Q: The intersection of Iowa Street and U.S. 231 is in dire need of a stop light.

A: The intersection of Iowa Street and U.S. 231 is owned and maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation. INDOT plans to install a roundabout at this intersection in 2027. For a list of all INDOT projects, or to report a concern, please visit https://www.in.gov/indot/.

Q: Is there any update on redoing the intersection at U.S. 231 and Delaware Parkway?

A: Utility relocation is scheduled to be complete by early April, weather permitting. Bids are due on March 22, and will be opened at the March 22 Board of Works meeting. Improvements at the intersection will be complete by the end of summer 2023, weather permitting.

Q: Is it true that a 5-story hotel is going to be built at 109th Avenue/Broadway, just west of Speedway?

A: At this time, there are no formal submittals for that hotel. The developer presented a workshop for the project a few months ago, however, as of right now, they have not submitted anything for site development.

Q: Are there any plans to try and get a general merchandise store, such as Meijer or Target in the City?

A: The City of Crown Point does not necessarily go out looking for businesses to move into the area. Typically, developers come to the City with plans to locate to the area. Presently, neither Meijer nor Target have shown any public interest in developing in Crown Point.

Q: When is West Goldsborough Street going to be finished? The condition of that road after the work was done is horrible.

A: West Goldsborough Street will undergo repairs this paving season. The road will not receive a full restoration this paving season, as a stormwater project is planned for the area in the near future.

Q: Considering today's current rate of inflation and high price of groceries, would the City be willing to put a moratorium on not allowing chickens and chicken coops within city limits and inside 450 feet from neighboring properties?

A: The Crown Point City Council discussed this matter during its recent meeting. At this time, the Council is not bringing the ordinance back to committee. The council has directed the Legal Department to look into the definition of a chicken coop to further refine the ordinance.

Q: Several months ago, someone came by and spray painted my water meter with blue marking paint. What was that about?

A: When the Water Division of Crown Point Public Works receives a locate request through the 811 system, our standard practice is to locate all city-owned water and sewer lines within the requested area. This includes painting the lids of all meter pits, buffalo boxes and valve boxes, which helps the excavator or homeowner identify our infrastructure while completing a project. While the paint will easily wash off the grass, it will last longer on metallic and concrete surfaces, keeping it visible in case of an emergency. Our staff also has been working to convert to a new digital mapping format. Since this process includes taking pictures of these assets, our staff will often paint them blue and mark the curb or roadway in an effort to aid in the visibility of these items in the pictures. Anytime you are digging, it is important to call 811 and request a free locate of the various utilities that may be in the ground at least two days before starting your work. Whether you are planting a bush or building a house, calling 811 helps protect yourself from potential injury and any potential buried infrastructure from damage.

Q: Why won't Lake County Animal Control accept animals (dogs specifically in my case) from within city limits? Do Crown Point residents’ taxes fund the LCAC even though it will not serve us? Given that they won't take them, why doesn't Crown Point have our own animal control like other cities do?

A: The City of Crown Point has a memorandum of understanding with Lake County Animal Control. If a resident who lives within City of Crown Point limits finds a cat or a dog, they can visit the Crown Point Police Department for a shelter voucher. The voucher allows the resident to take the animal to Lake County Animal Control. The City of Crown Point pays for the animal's veterinarian bills until it finds a forever home. For more information, call the non-emergency line at 219-663-2131.

Q: Why isn’t there any street signs identifying the street names at the intersection of 113th and Iowa?

A: There were street signs fastened to the utility pole on the northeast corner of the intersection. The Street Department has been notified of the missing signage and will replace the signs. 

Q: What measures are being taken after the recent incident that happened at the fairgrounds?  Are there or will there be frequent patrols of the fairgrounds? Will cameras be installed in areas that these incidents could occur?  What can the community do or contribute to make the fairgrounds the safe place that we all thought and know it to be?

A: The Crown Point Police Department is committed to keeping our community safe. The Lake County Fairgrounds is owned, maintained and patrolled by Lake County. We have a great working relationship with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and will do our part to help keep the Fairgrounds a safe place for everyone to enjoy. The City of Crown Point and Crown Point Police Department take great pride in Crown Point being one of the safest communities in Northwest Indiana. To help us keep our community safe, report any suspicious activity immediately. If you see something, say something.

Q: What is up with the clock on the north side of the courthouse? It has lost its hands!

A: The Lake Court House Foundation is working to repair the clock on the north side of the Historic Lake County Courthouse. Parts need to be made to make the necessary repairs.

Q: Will the south and east sides of the Sportsplex ever be fenced in like the north end?

A: The fencing for the Sportsplex is complete.

Q: What is the city doing to make itself a greener city regarding recycling efforts? What is the hopeful outcomes of said efforts?

A: The City continues to work with our garbage and recycling vendor, Republic Services, on all aspects of curbside pick-up, sorting and recycling. The City of Crown Point also has a plastic cap recycling program, where we collect caps to be turned into recycled park benches and picnic tables. This effort is ongoing. Thus far, the City has collected 16,246 pounds of plastic bottle caps, resulting in seven benches and 16 picnic tables. Caps can be dropped off in the blue bin near the south parking lot entrance of Bulldog Park, located at 183 S. West St. Acceptable caps include most food and drink product lids, most personal care product caps and laundry detergent caps with labels removed. Please do not drop off any containers, metal caps, sprayers, soap/lotion pumps, drink bottles or medical supplies. The aforementioned items cannot be recycled.

Q: Has there ever been a discussion of a MRF, dirty or clean stream?

A: The City utilizes Republic Services as its garbage and recycling collection company. For more information on how recyclables are sorted at Republic Services, please call 219-310-2343.

Q: The painted fire hydrants around town look terrible. Why do we do that? The original red color on the one in front of my house was beautiful. Even if we needed them to be orange, fire hydrant companies make them in any color we want with weatherproof paint. Why wouldn’t we just buy orange ones? Or better yet, keep them red?

A: The City of Crown Point's standard color for fire hydrants is orange, allowing the hydrant to stand out against just about any backdrop. While we try to order them in orange, there are times when we, or a developer, must accept another color hydrant due to product availability. The hydrants are then painted orange after installation. We have hydrant painters out every summer to scrape and paint as many hydrants as possible to ensure our hydrants are maintained and consistent with our color standards. Unfortunately, we are working to catch up on our painting following the pandemic, when we did not have the usual summer staffing levels. Our hydrants also have painted caps to indicate how many gallons of water per-minute it can provide for firefighting. These colors are based on a national standard used by communities nationwide.

Q: Summit and Broadway needs a light or timing of light on Broadway, or no right turn on red on Broadway, so cars trying to turn left or right — for that matter — out of the stores or Culver’s can do so safely. You also have cars coming out of the area where the new Sonic and Aldi customers leave on Summit, which adds to congestion.

A: Broadway is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Additional signage is planned for the area.

Q: Why isn’t there a social media platform, such as a Facebook page, for Bulldog Park? I’d love to have easy to get information on events being held there. It would be nice to know what the opening day for ice skating is along with the hours the rink would be open.

A: The City of Crown Point posts all event information, including open skate hours for Bulldog Park, on our city Facebook page, @CityofCrownPointIN. All event information also is posted on our website www.crownpoint.in.gov.

Q: Does the City of Crown Point have a flag?

A: Yes! You can find our flag posted across the street from City Hall in front of the Crown Point Police Department.

Q: With snow coming what is the city ordinance on parking on city streets during snowfall?

A: All streets and roads are designated snow routes in the event of snow accumulation of 2 inches or more in order to ensure the welfare and safety of the public. All vehicles, trailers and equipment shall be removed from any public street or roadway upon accumulation of 2 inches of snow or more until the street or roadway is cleared of snow from curb to curb.

Q: What are the rules for parking boats, campers and trailers? And blocking sidewalks?

A: Boats, campers and trailers may not be parked on the street. No vehicle, trailer or equipment is permitted to block the sidewalk.

Q: Just wondering when they will fix 113th Avenue by Hubinger. There's a really bad dip in the road that has been there for about two years now. Really annoying.

A: Earlier this year, the City of Crown Point made a temporary repair to the culvert on 113th Avenue. While Lake County and the City of Crown Point were hoping to see final work on the culvert well underway, if not completed, soil borings revealed poor soil in the area. After additional discussion, it was determined additional borings are needed to find firm soil to properly repair the culvert at 113th Avenue. The borings must be complete before work can proceed.

Q: What are local volunteer opportunities for the holidays?

A: The City of Crown Point does not currently have any holiday volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering with the City of Crown Point, please email events@crownpoint.in.gov.

Q: What road projects are planned for West North Street?

A: There are plans to install a new downtown sewer interceptor in 2023, which will impact the roadway.

Q: In the spring, former Mayor Uran detailed how Delaware Street would be realigned on both the north and south side of U.S. 231, and the city was paying for the improvements. The plans were being reviewed by INDOT. Is there an update on this? I see there are some markers placed off the roadway. Thank you.

A: Work on the Delaware Street and U.S. 231 intersection is currently being planned for spring 2023. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has approved the design. The City is waiting for various underground utilities in the area to be relocated.

Q: What is being done to address the increase of graffiti around various location of the city?

A: Unfortunately, there have been instances of graffiti being sprayed on objects around the square and alleyways. As each case is reported to the Crown Point Police Department, they investigate the vandalism and follow up with the reporting party. Anyone with a specific question regarding vandalism is encouraged to call the police department's non-emergency number 219-660-0000.

Q: For decades, there have been multiple vacant storefronts just south of our square on Main Street, from Diamond Jim’s, currently being renovated, to The Great Escape. Can we expect the city to remedy this anytime soon? Curious why this has been allowed for so long.

A: The City of Crown Point does not control how quickly storefronts are filled. The storefronts on the south side of the square are privately owned, therefore, we cannot dictate when a private business owner will complete renovations or when a new business might open. The City of Crown Point offers an incentive to business/building owners who revitalize their storefront in the downtown square, including our Façade Rebate Program, which provides owners up to $25,000. For more information on the program, please visit https://www.crownpoint.in.gov/366/Facade-Grant-Program.

Q: Where can I dispose of unused/unwanted pills, including prescription and over the counter expired pills?

A: The Crown Point Police Department , 124 N. East St., has a drug takeback receptacle in the lobby.

Q: Why isn’t the detention basin south of 100th Avenue and north of Beaver Dam Ditch (between Polk and Madison streets) properly maintained? This area used to be free of weeds. Now, the city never mows it completely.

A: Crews mow this property on a regular schedule. All the areas the city mows and maintains are on a set schedule. The center of the pond in question is soft and full of cattails, which the mowers cannot reach. The more water that is present, the farther back crews have to stay away. During the summer, as things dry out, we are able to get closer.

Q: I would like to sign my family up for the trolley that takes the Christmas light tour. Who do I call to reserve?

A: Registration for the Tour of Lights is currently full. To be placed on the waitlist, please call the Entertainment Division of the PACE Department at 219-662-3290.

Q: I am aware that you have posted a couple of times that leaf pickup would continue until the first snowfall. Was the snow we received this past week enough to end the leaf pickup? The weather looks good for the next few days, and I would do my yard once more. I don’t want to put leaves out by the street, however, if they will not be picked up. Thanks in advance.

A: No, fall leaf pick-up will continue until the first major snow accumulation. The amount of snow we have received so far will not impact leaf pick-up. Our crews will pick up leaves until they are unable to due to heavy snowfall.

Q: Left hand turn on red? May need to expand.

A: According to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, motorists may turn left through an intersection with a red light or arrow if they are turning from a one-way street onto a one-way street. Motorists also must come to a full stop, check to make sure that there are no vehicles and pedestrians in the path of your turn or about to enter the path of your turn, check that there is not a “No Turn on Red” sign and use the correct lanes. For a copy of the 2022 Indiana Drivers Manual, visit https://www.in.gov/.../licenses.../files/drivers-manual.pdf.

Q: Please explain how the crosswalks work in the square. What do I do if I am approaching a crosswalk and I see someone trying to cross? Who has the right-of-way? Also explain to people what right-of-way means.

A: If you approach a crosswalk and you see someone trying to cross, please yield to the pedestrian. Pedestrians always have the right of way in a crosswalk. Right of way is the right to go first in certain road situations when at least two road users could use the same space. A left-hand turn can be made on red, unless a sign is posted prohibiting it.

Q: What is going on with Goldsborough Street, and when will it be finished?

A: Goldsborough Street is scheduled to be paved this year. The road will undergo a full restoration, including curbs and sidewalks (as needed) and paved from Grant to Main streets. The portion of Goldsborough Street west of Main Street will be patched until next year. There is additional infrastructure work that needs to be done next year in that section. All work is weather permitting.

Q: What is the ordinance on the placement of garbage cans for garbage day? How many days before garbage day can they be put out onto the parkway?

A: According to City of Crown Point Code of Ordinances Section 52.03, no garbage container shall be placed at the curb or in a parkway or at a street or alley earlier than 5 p.m. on the day before the scheduled date of collection. No garbage container shall be placed in the traveled portion of a street, road or alleyway. All containers shall be removed from the curb, parkway, street, road or alleyway no later than 7 p.m. on the date of collection. All containers shall be so situated as to be readily accessible to the collector on the date of collection.