PORTERÂ â Work is advancing on the Indiana Dunes National Park s decades-long process of removing unwanted structures from the park.
Since September, a contractor has been removing 17 houses, a barn, an in-ground pool and six roads to restore those sites to natural areas. Thatâs a $1.38 million task, park spokesperson Bruce Rowe said.
Most of the houses are in Garyâs Inland Manor subdivision, which was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1990s. Homes there were subject to flooding when the federal government purchased them.
As with other purchased properties, former owners were given long-term leases. With the leases expiring, the houses are being removed and the site restored to its natural habitat.