After considerable discussion Monday and at its last council meeting, the Valparaiso City Council unanimously approved a rezoning of the 1.25-acre parcel upon which the Banta Center sits from public space (PS) to urban residential (UR).
The change would allow plans to move forward for Matt and Wayne Welter to purchase and repurpose the former school into high-end living units. The vote followed a 7-0 vote in November by the Valparaiso Plan Commission to recommend approval of the rezoning.
Nothing would happen with the building until the senior center, which is proposed to transfer to the Valparaiso Rec Project, had changed locations.
Several members of the audience spoke of their concern for the architectural significance of the structure named for William Banta, the city’s first superintendent of Valparaiso Public Schools. Blake Swihart of Indiana Landmarks echoed the desire of many that the city’s architectural commission be included in final design approvals. “It is a modest building,” he said of the collegiate gothic style building, “but, as we’ve just heard, has some good architectural features” that should be maintained.
Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-Large, said she’d like for the historic preservation committee to weigh in. The physical transaction of sale won’t be for two years, according to Parks Director Kevin Nuppnau, but in the meantime, Reed didn’t want to put too many demands on the prospective buyer.
“We only had one RFP come in,” she said. “I don’t want to do anything that is going to harm the sale of this building.”
Councilmember Robert Cotton, D-2nd, wanted to know if, when approving the zoning change, some requirements for historical preservation could be compelled. Costas said that was taking things too far, especially when the city can’t afford to maintain the property.
“First of all, we’re dealing with a legacy family,” he said. “The Welters are a legacy family. I’m confident that they would want in every way economically feasible, that they would want to keep beauty and integrity of this building. I think at some point we need to just trust the process.”
“But then, in essence, there’s no assurance,” Cotton countered.
In other business, the Democratic members of the council and Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas criticized the mid-census redistricting plan that was under consideration by the Indiana General Assembly this month, which would have split Porter County into two separate congressional districts.
“It’s been what’s been called by some people a race to the bottom,” Costas said. “Hopefully, the Senate will think hard about this and make the right choice.”
On Thursday afternoon, the Indiana Senate defeated the proposal with 21 Republicans joining all 10 Democratic senators in voting against it, including Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso; 19 senators voted in favor of the map.
In other business, Central Elementary fifth grader Nora Burk was honored by the Council as Valparaiso’s Rising Star for 2025. The award honors a responsible, hardworking, intelligent young person who contributes to Valparaiso’s excellence every day. The award was created by the Mayor’s Youth Council in 2024.
Burk has been serving her community since the second grade through the K-Kids program and more. She has tied warm blankets for people in need, made holiday place mats for Meals on Wheels, and crafted colorful dog toys for local animal shelters. “You have a kind heart, but you put that into action,” Costas told her. Burk was chosen from 16 candidates for the award.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
