PORTAGE | Last month's torrential rains have caused a delay in the grand opening of Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk.

Portage Park Superintendent Clarke Johnson said Monday that too much damage had been caused by the heavy rains, flooding and debris that landed on the lakefront to meet the grand opening scheduled for Oct. 16.

The new grand opening date is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 with the program beginning at 4 p.m.

The 60-acre park is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, but will be operated by the city.

"We are just not ready," said Johnson about meeting the original date.

Johnson said there was no structural damage to the building or any infrastructure, but that there was erosion in areas, including the parking lot and mounds of debris that still need to be cleaned up.

In order to meet the original Oct. 16 grand opening date, he said, contractors would have to work significant overtime to meet the deadline.

Johnson said they had not yet put together a cost estimate on the damage to the new park.

The new park has been a much-awaited development along the Lake Michigan shore, considered the "poster child" project for the implementation of the Marquette Greenway Plan, which aims to recapture the lakefront for public use. The National Park Service purchased the property several years ago. It is formerly the site of the former Midwest Steel's waste water treatment plant. The city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funded the demolition of the treatment facility. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority has financed the construction of the park, which includes a pavilion, handicapped-accessible walkways and fishing pier and riverwalk along the Burns Waterway.