Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 29, 1955.
Utility Firm Set To Meet City Growth
Electric, Gas Facilities Are Under Expansion
By ROLLIE BERNHART
Northern Indiana Public Service company, Porter county’s largest taxpayer, must plan the expansion of its facilities, so that gas and electricity is instantly available at the turn of a valve or touch of a switch.
This service and planning must be constantly done, no matter how rapidly the city builds or in which direction it goes.
In 1955, NIPSCO has paid a total of $188,618.36 in taxes into the office of the Porter county treasurer.
The results of a construction program by NIPSCO, to assure the people of Valparaiso and vicinity of ample electric power and natural gas for present and future needs, are currently very much in evidence throughout the city and county, a V-M reporter’s survey revealed.
All of the work and expansion prevalent in Valparaiso and Porter county today, is merely a portion of the general expansion program being carried on throughout the entire NIPSCO territory.
The growth of the city;s east side is reflected in the new NIPSCO electric substation being built on Roosevelt road at Wood street, and the new electric line being constructed along Roosevelt road from the north.
The rapid expansion of Valparaiso’s east side, including the new buildings on Valparaiso university’s new campus, new residential buildings, the new East Side school currently under construction, new commercial buildings including “auto-mobile row” on East Lincolnway, all take lots of electricity and gas.
In addition, increasing general use of air conditioning adds much to the demand for electric power, it was pointed out.
Reduces Voltage
The new substation will take power from the new Roosevelt road line at 34,500 volts, and will step it down to 4,000. Radical lines at 4,000 volts will then carry the power to the east side neighborhoods, where smaller transformers will convert it to voltages used in homes and business.
Probably the construction most important to the entire Valparaiso area has been underway for months at the huge underway for months at the huge electric station east of the Valparaiso Gold club, known on the NIPSCO district list as the Flint Lake substation.
This station, started several years ago, has been more than doubled in size during the past year, and is the main electric center in this area.
Work on a new 138,000 volt transmission line, to link with another 138,000 volt source of power near Crown Point, is planned to begin this winter. According to Morris Groverman Jr., Valparaiso District manager it was indicated that this line will give Valparaiso another independent source of high voltage power, essential to meet the growth of electric loads here, and to assure continuous and plentiful electricity for area expansion.
Target Date Set
It was pointed out that this line will eventually be connected to the new $26,000,000 Dean H. Mitchell electric generating plant now being constructed by NIPSCO on Lake Michigan at Gary, and is expected to be “on the line” in the late fall of 1956.
In Valparaiso, poles for the new line have been moving into the company’s storage yards along Evans avenue. Many of these poles are 85 feet in height, and weigh two and one-half tons.
Probably the most noticeable projects to Valparaiso residents, is the continuing work at the district operating headquarters on Franklin street, at Evans avenue. Lawns and landscaping along Franklin street were developed this year and further substantial improvements made in the two large storage lots.
Groverman reported today that plans call for blacktopping of most of the yard area around the building sometime next year.
The new district operating building on Franklin street houses the gas and electric operating departments, stores department and engineering which outgrew the old building on Washington street, south of the Pennsylvania railroad.
Expansion of gas facilities has been going on in and around the city at the same time that electric expansion has been underway, it was revealed.
New Gas Main
A new gas main along Roosevelt road built this year, will handle increased east side growth, and incidentally the kitchens at Valparaiso university’s new union building.
New gas mains are under construction now, or are soon to be started in several newly developed areas of Valparaiso. To meet the ever increasing demands for gas, a new transmission line and regulator station were built south of the city along State Road 2. In addition, a new and larger regulator station is planned to start soon in the area of the old gas plant on south Napoleon street, it was announced.
In the meantime, while these major projects are underway, local NIPSCO engineers and construction crews have also been extending facilities into new subdivisions, to new farm customers, and to new industries in the region.
Line moving projects relative to Indiana Toll road construction in the county have already been undertaken in many spots in the north portion of the county. More line moving work is scheduled to start soon in connection with the widening of Indiana 49 to Kouts, and State Road 8 from Hebron to Kouts.
New Street Lights
NIPSCO will also install new street lights in the Kouts business district, it was pointed out.
Additionally, a new 34,500 electric transmission line was built to serve the Hebron and DeMotte areas. To utilize this power, a new substation was completed this year in Hebron, including extensive improvement of facilities in the south county community.
“Modern living has bright into general use automatic gas and appliances hardly dreamed of 15 years ago,” Groverman stated today. “Automatic living is the new American way of life. Plentiful, inexpensive and always reliable gas and electric service has made this all possible. We of NIPSCO intend to see that these servants are there when Valparaiso needs them.”
