Intermodal facility being explored |
Intermodal facility being explored |
Aug 20 2007, 01:01 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,426 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=54065.42
QUOTE Co. Committee To Look At Intermodal Officials to start advisory task force to ensure ‘transparent’ process in development. Laurie Wink The News-Dispatch LA PORTE - An advisory task force is being created to help county officials evaluate prospective developers and sites for an intermodal freight terminal in La Porte County. County Commission President Barbara Huston said in a press release Friday the commissioners are developing an "orderly and fair process" that would involve public input. The task force will have 15 to 20 members. The convergence of rail lines, coupled with closeness to major interstate highways, has positioned La Porte County as a prime location for a facility that could create jobs and boost economic development. It would serve as a place where cargo is transferred between trucks and trains. Two railroad companies are said to be eying locations here, but are saying little publicly about their plans. Some property owners have said they have been approached by a real estate company that has been buying options on farmland in southern La Porte County. "We will put a very public, transparent process in place to evaluate developers and sites before we ever give approvals to anyone," Huston said. Huston said the county has received multiple inquiries from real estate firms, venture capital groups, railroads and real estate investment trusts interested in prospective county locations. She said county attorney Shaw Friedman and county economic development coordinator Matt Reardon will coordinate contacts and issue a request of interest to identify serious proposals. Her own preference is to use the Kingsbury Industrial Park as the site of the intermodal facility, but she and the other commissioners are open to all possibilities, she said. |
Aug 24 2007, 12:23 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,426 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
Actually my feeling, for once, pretty well follow the op-ed from the ND. In my opinion, there is no question we need infrastructure investment in LaPorte County, especially outside of MC and LP, if we ever want to advance economically. I understand the preservation of farmland, but the growth in our demographics in LaPorte County isn't towards farmers. It is towards blue collar type jobs and service industry employment. Right now we are filling the service end of that, but growth in industrial type jobs has been pretty well non-exsistant. Let's be honest, these are the types of jobs that can be considered middle class, and not the stuff you would get at Super Wal-Mart or Lowes.
I do fully agree that the process has been flawed though. There needs to be more transparency, and that is a theme not just in this occasion, but all throughout our governments, from the smallest municipality to the federal system. Hopefully that will change. Even if it isn't what the public wants, we deserve to know what is being done in our name. QUOTE Intermodal Process Debate Has Included Pandering Editorial The proposed intermodal transportation complex that could be developed in southern La Porte County is the single largest economic development opportunity for the county in the last half century. Not only would it employ thousands, it could attract hundreds of related businesses, all of which would put people to work. The project would add immensely to the county's tax base. We support this project. It will put people to work and will help provide a solid economic foundation for La Porte County for decades to come. Supporters of the project must work hard to keep it on track and moving ahead. But at the same time, the serious concerns expressed by hundreds of south county residents Tuesday night must be addressed as best they can. County officials are working to make the process - so far clouded in secrecy - more "transparent," which is good. Ultimately, however, the interests of those who own land around the proposed site may very well collide with the interests of the railroad company said to have purchased options on thousands of acres of farmland in the Union Mills area. And while government, through planning and zoning and the permitting process, has some say about the use of that land, private landowners, whether they are homeowners or a big railroad, have the right to use their land as they see fit, if it is in a legally permitted way. No amount of assurances that such a project will not destroy the quality of life in southern La Porte County will make everyone completely comfortable, but some of the political posturing isn't helping. County Councilman Terry Garner of Hanna said at the public hearing this week in Union Mills, "I will never sell my soul to the devil." That comment drew applause from hundreds of people, but he was pandering. As an elected official, it's his job to collect information and make a decision based on knowledge, not emotion. La Porte County attorney Shaw Friedman says local officials should be relieved of any obligation of confidentiality about the project at this time, and we hope that leads to more information about this project, so people can be prepared to move ahead with their lives, if in fact the intermodal is coming. Until that information is made available, there will be scant public support for a project that has the potential to be a major economic engine for the county. |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 4th June 2024 - 11:45 AM |
Skin Designed By: neo at www.neonetweb.com