Dunes Pavilion Work Stoppage Not Expected To Delay Opening

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A state Department of Natural Resources official and a developer who plans to refurbish and privatize a pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park say an order by the National Park Service to stop work on the project is temporary and isn't expected to delay its planned opening next May.

Pavilion Partners, led by politically connected Valparaiso developer Chuck Williams, wants to bring restaurants, a rooftop bar and a banquet center to the site along Lake Michigan.

National Park Service and DNR officials say the issue is how the pavilion will be classified.

Members of Dune Action, a group that opposes alcohol at the park and the banquet center, are hopeful the National Park Service will stop the project. But Park Service officials say they don't have the authority.