Breaking ground of new lodge at Potato Creek State Park

NORTH LIBERTY, Ind - Officials tell ABC57 that this new lodge being built is the first state park lodge to be built in Indiana since 1939. 

Governor Eric J. Holcomb came out to North Liberty Thursday to break ground on a highly anticipated project, a new park lodge at Potato Creek State Park. 

This new lodge is planned to feature 120 guest rooms, a 150-seat full-service dining room, a conference center, aquatic center, and much more.  

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says this plan has been years in the making. 

The Indiana State Parks Inn System currently operates seven lodges, but there is only one lodge north of Indianapolis and there's currently none in the northwest area of Indiana. 

They say the demand for rooms is there. 

Indiana DNR Director Dan Bortner says they are being mindful of conservation as they build the new facility.

“All those lodges are designed with the natural contour in mind, we use items and products that are native to the area, the stone and the woods, different things we are going to use, and we do create it to where you got bird viewing areas and things like that. We want to enhance the property and the experience that people have here,” said Bortner. 

The final plans are being put together and once those are finalized, they will have a better idea of the timeline of the project.