Photo // Claire McKenna
GOLDENROD. Steve Sass showed the group the native plant on the land as we hiked around the property.
By: Claire McKenna Staff-Writer
On Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m., around 50 people gathered at Portage Manor in South Bend to learn about the land that has not been in use for the past year. Portage Manor, once a care home, sits on over 100 acres of land, and there have been no plans made for the land since it closed as a care home last year.
Steve Sass, a founder of Indiana Nature LLC, was hired by the county to do an ecological assessment of the land. Paired with Derek Dieter, who is currently running for South Bend surveyor, the two led a hike throughout the property to show how large the area is.
The one-hour hike only showcased part of the property, but Sass showed a variety of plants, both native and not, and explained the history of the land with Dieter’s help.
After the walk, the group went inside the building where Sass shared his findings, including a 74-page document of his findings from the past five months. He and the Indiana Nature LLC team have found over 200 different plant species and many different insects, birds, and mammals.
Sass also discussed the ownership history of the land and Portage Manor’s former purpose of housing people with mental illnesses and disabilities, which the building did until August 2023.
Unfortunately, the land is not protected. Sass emphasized that this was the people’s land, and the community can help decide what to do with it.
“Everything’s on the table at this point,” Sass repeated throughout the night.
Dieter reassured the group that the building would not be torn down. The county has requested proposals for developers to do something with this property, but Dieter has offered himself as a source of contact for those who may want to visit the property again or make suggestions for its use.
After Sass’s presentation, they took a few suggestions on what people might want to use this property for. Sass joked about building a car wash – perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recent development plans at the old South Bend Motor Speedway, which Indiana Nature LLC helped save – but an overwhelming “NO!” resounded from the audience.
Many suggested a public park with the walking trails already made or a nature preserve. Dieter reminisced about childhood memories of riding bikes around the property with his friends and said he wanted something like that for kids of today.
Sass sees this as step one.
“I hope that the people that came out today learned a lot about this property, I know I did!,” he said. “I think having people get the chance to walk out here and see these expansive fields would leave them feeling motivated to keep the property open to the public.”
If you have any questions or suggestions on what the county should do with Portage Manor, or if you would just like to walk the trails on the land, you can contact Commissioner Derek Dieter at (574) 532-2200, or email him at [email protected].