Last Stillwater crossing removal starts

CROWN POINT | The last of three Stillwater subdivision road crossings built a decade ago without proper DNR permits is being removed.

Work begins today to take out a section of Greenview Place crossing over Smith Ditch, City Engineer Tris Miles said. Greenview Place will be blocked in that area, Miles said.

Greenview Place, Stillwater Parkway and Crooked Creek Trail crossings in Stillwater all were built over the ditch without stream crossing permits from the U.S. Department of Natural Resources after developers began constructing Stillwater in 1999.

The city is under a judicial order to remove the crossing as the result of a 2009 lawsuit brought by the Stillwater Homeowners Association and a few individual homeowners alleging negligence led to flooding and damage to homes.

The city is a defendant along with Stillwater developers in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Hammond. The lawsuit seeks protection from future flooding by restoring the natural state of Smith Ditch.

The Crooked Creek Trail and Stillwater Parkway crossings were removed in December and January, and the roads remain blocked at the crossings.

The city needs DNR permits to replace the crossings with other structures, and the permit application process cannot begin until all the crossings are removed, Miles said.

The city has a team in place to begin replacement work as soon as the permits are issued, Miles said. "We're working as quickly as possible."

The subdivision will be accessible despite the road blockages. "Everybody can get home," Miles said.

Homeowners in the subdivision on the city's southeast side have been patient, Mayor David Uran said.

"The city of Crown Point did not build those crossings, but it has become our responsibility to replace them," Uran said.

The city continues to work to comply with suggestions for mediation, City Attorney David Nichols has said.