Town Offices Closed

All Town Offices will be CLOSED on Friday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.

Freedom Fest

Join us for our 4th Annual Freedom Fest Celebration! Get ready for a full day of family fun at St. John's favorite summer celebration. There's something for everyone:



• Free carnival-style games and yard games
• Live music throughout the evening
• Delicious food trucks
• Festive face painting
• Bounce all day for just $10 with access to four inflatable houses
• Family-friendly beer garden hosted by the St. John Volunteer Fire Department – all proceeds benefit the department!
• Fireworks show at 9:30 PM to close out the night

Bring your family, your lawn chairs, and your festive spirit. We can't wait to celebrate with you.

Date: Saturday, July 5th

Time: 3 PM-10 PM

Location: Heartland Park (10600 White Oak Ave)

Touch-a-Truck

Save the date and join us for our 2nd Annual Touch-a-Truck Event. Children can climb into the driver's seat, honk the horns, and learn about the incredible machines that keep our community moving! This event will be sensory sensitive with no sirens or horns from 11 AM - 12 PM . The St. John Volunteer Fire Department will be firing up the grill to serve hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and a drink. Prices range from $8 - $10 and all proceeds go back to the fire department. Cash Only!



Date: Saturday, August 23rd

Time: 11 AM - 2 PM

Location: Heartland Park (10600 White Oak Ave)

Redevelopment Set for Former K-Mart Site

After sitting vacant since 2012, the former K-Mart site on Wicker Avenue is finally getting a fresh start. DeMaeo Retail is set to begin a $31 million redevelopment project that will bring new life to the long-empty property. Work is expected to begin in July 2025, weather permitting. The entire 70,000-square-foot building will be transformed into a brand-new Jewel-Osco, featuring a Starbucks, a convenient drive-thru pharmacy, and a modern design that will be a first for Northwest Indiana. If construction stays on schedule, the new Jewel-Osco is expected to open its doors in Fall 2026.

Community Crossings Matching Grant

Milestone Construction is continuing work on the Town-Wide resurfacing project. Work is ahead of schedule. Paving is about 80% complete in residential areas. The resurfacing at the intersection of 101^st Avenue and Blaine Street will begin mid-July when NIPSCO’s overhead electric work in the area has been completed. All streets will be completed by mid-August before school starts, weather dependent.

Well Houses 8 and 9

Grimmer Construction continues work on the well houses. Underground work has been completed on Well 8 on Privet Drive. The foundation has been poured, and construction of the building will start this month. The progress at Well 9 at 107^th Place and Blaine Street will closely follow Well 8. Underground utilities have been completed and grading for the foundation will start in the upcoming weeks. Work has also begun on the installation of the water main from the new wells into the Gates Treatment Plant on Sagebrook Drive. The latest schedule shows both wells being online in the fall, weather dependent.

Commercial Downtown on US 231

Infrastructure work is progressing, with water, sanitary, and storm systems currently being finalized. Paving of 109th Square, which the main access road to the site, is projected to take place this month, weather permitting. At a recent meeting, the Town Council approved updated renderings for the development. Plans include restaurants with outdoor seating on the lower level and professional office spaces on the upper level, reflecting a mixed-use vision for the site. While no specific tenants have been announced yet, interest is strong. Several prospective businesses are preparing to begin their individual design processes. Tenant discussions have included restaurants focused on breakfast/lunch, lunch/dinner, pizza, sandwiches, and coffee—creating a well-rounded dining location for the community.

The Gates Park Sports Lighting

Sports lights are now operational at both the skatepark and pickleball courts. The lights will be activated Sunday - Thursday from sundown until 9 PM and Friday - Saturday from sundown until 10 PM.

All Town parks are open to the public from 6 AM - 10 PM daily unless otherwise posted or when participating in a department or town sanctioned event.

The Gates Pavilion & Permanent Restrooms

Permanent Restroom facilities for The Gates Park located at 10201 Park Pl, St. John, IN is in the final stages of design. This will be a year-round facility located between the playground and pickleball courts that will feature men's and women's restrooms, a picnic shelter, water fountain, bottle filler, and diaper changing station. It is anticipated that construction will begin on this project in the late summer/ early fall of 2025.

Heartland Park Expansion

The amphitheater has been a major focus of the Heartland Park Expansion Project, but now it’s time to spotlight another exciting feature! We’re thrilled to unveil the state-of-the-art Splash Pad design which is a destination-style attraction packed with fun and features for all ages. Check out the renderings below and get a glimpse of what’s coming to the corner of White Oak Ave and 109th Ave as part of this expansion project.

For those just catching up, the Heartland Park Expansion Project is set to transform 40 acres at the corner of White Oak Avenue and 109th Avenue into a vibrant community destination.

Plans for this exciting development include:

• An amphitheater with a stage and covered seating for large-scale events
• Multipurpose spaces and an open-air pavilion
• Indoor community rooms for year-round use
• A destination-style splash pad featuring slides, climbing structures, vertical water features, dry play zones, and a re-circulating water system

The project is expected to go out to bid in August, with construction anticipated to begin in late Fall 2025. To fund this project, the Town has approved a lease agreement between the Redevelopment Commission and the Redevelopment Authority. For a closer look, check out the PowerPoint presentation shared at the June 25th Town Council Meeting.

White Oak & 109th Roundabout

Engineers are completing the design of the roundabout. Final design, utility relocation planning, and right-of-way acquisition are underway. The schedule is on track to be bid late summer with construction continuing into 2026.

St. John Community Center Update

Contractors are wrapping up drywall work and the finishing trades will begin their work in the coming weeks. Residents will also notice progress outside, with the parking lot addition and site utility work scheduled to start this month.

Once complete, the Community Center will provide a much-needed indoor space for Town events and programs. It will also be available for residents to rent for private functions.

Interested in reserving the space?

Submit your request through Rec Desk, and a member of the Parks Department will be in touch to finalize your reservation.

For questions or more information, please contact Brooke Bane at bbane@stjohnin.gov.

Ready to reserve?

Submit your request through Rec Desk, and we’ll help you get started.

Prairie West Parking Lot Expansion

The Prairie West Park parking lot will be expanded this year and the number of available parking spaces will be doubled. Design work is complete and project bids will be received and reviewed in July or August. The park improvements will include a parking lot layout expanded to the east and south. The work also includes repaving and striping the existing parking lot to blend in with the added pavement along with placing a seal coat over the pedestrian walkway. Effort will be made to phase work and keep the park available to the public while construction is in progress.

Timberlane Park Improvements

The Park Board awarded the contract to Gariup Construction in the amount of $227,500 at their June 30th meeting for improvements to Timberlane Park, located at 11825 W 90th Ave. Work will begin in late July and be completed by September, weather dependent. Improvements consist of a new playground, repairs to the walking path, drainage improvements, and a new ADA-compliant sidewalk entrance. This work is being done, in part, with a $75,000 CDBG grant from Lake County.

Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Market is open every Sunday at the Powers Health Outpatient Center from 8 AM - 1 PM. Welcome back your favorite vendors & say hello to some new ones. The market will take place every Sunday through October 26th.

Music Line-Up:

• July 13th - Kristi Alsip
• August 17th - Kristi Alsip
• September 14th - Sammy Listro
• October 12th - Jordan Miller

Heron Lake Splash Pad

Now Open - Labor Day

Make a splash at the Heron Lake Splash Pad! Now OPEN for the summer. The daily hours of operation are 9 AM-6 PM. Additional park amenities include playground equipment and picnic tables. The use of the splash pad is free and is located at 11960 Osage Dr at Heron Lake Park.

Concerts & Car Shows

Get ready to experience the rhythm of the Fifty-One Lincoln Band and the thrill of classic cars from 6 PM – 9 PM at the Lake Hills Amphitheater (8640 Lake Hills Dr.) Bring your chairs and pack your coolers (21+ may bring adult beverages for adult consumption only) or enjoy food from Deon's BBQ. Admission is FREE, so come early to secure your spot and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of our Summer Concert Series in the Park.

Movies in the Park

Summer Line-Up

Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket and enjoy our Friday night movies at Prairie West Park. Food vendors and music will begin at 7 PM (Aug) & 6 PM (Sept & Oct) with the movie to begin at sunset.

• August 8: Moana 2
• September 26: Space Jam
• October 10: The Little Rascals

Summer Camps

There is still time to sign up for summer camp! Each camp will run from Monday-Thursday from 9 AM - 12 PM for a fee of $75/participant. The age groups are (4-7), (8-10), & (11-13). Camps are held at Prairie West Park unless otherwise noted. Register in person at the Clerk-Treasurer's office or online at Rec Desk.

Dino Week:

• July 7-July 10

Space Week:

• July 14-July 17

Superheroes:

• July 21-July 24

Wildlife Adventures:

• July 28-July 31

Music Time

Join Miss Caitlin for musical fun! The class includes singing & dancing, fingerplays, lap bounce songs, instrument exploration, scarf & parachute play, and bubble fun! Sign up for Wednesday or Saturday sessions. Register in person at the Clerk-Treasurer's office or online at Rec Desk.

SJE Summer Fest

The St. John Evangelist Festival will be held Friday, July 10th - Sunday, July 13th on the corner of 93rd Ave & Route 41. Enjoy food and drinks from local restaurants and free nightly entertainment. There will be fun for all ages that includes carnival rides and games. For more information, email events@stjohnparish.org.

Pickleball for Education

CALLING ALL PICKLERS! Who's ready to play pickleball and support educational grants for the Lake Central schools? The Lake Central Education Foundation will be hosting their first-ever pickleball tournament on Saturday, July 19th. Check out the flyer and head to the website to sign up--space is limited. First come, first serve--no pun intended. Click the link to register now!

https://givebutter.com/PickleballforEducation

My Water Advisor App

We are excited to introduce a new Water App where you will be able to monitor your hourly, daily & monthly water usage, address high water consumption, get leak alerts, and set water consumption limits. There are 2 ways to register:

1. Download My Water Advisor 2.0 from the App store or Google Play -or-
2. Visit www.mywateradvisor2.com and click on "Join My Water Advisor"

Follow these simple directions:

• Choose "Register with Account Number"
• Enter your account number with no spaces or dashes.
• Enter your name (Last name, first name) EXACTLY as it appears on your water bill.
• Enter a valid email address & create a password.