Intermodal facility being explored |
Intermodal facility being explored |
Aug 20 2007, 01:01 PM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,425 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. |
Oct 8 2007, 09:06 AM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,425 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
I will admit, I want to see the intermodal built here, my question is with the NIMBY attitude of Union Mills and their complete lack of forward thinking, is Kingsbury really a place it could be built?
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=40064.73 QUOTE Why Put Intermodal In Union Mills? How many people in La Porte County considered why it is so imperative to construct the intermodal at Union Mills? They (the proponents) contend that it is because the two railroads intersect there and there exist the great number of acres needed. Bull! These same railroads pass through the old Kingsbury Ordnance Plant, one north along Hupp Road through Kingsbury, and the other just north of Kingsford Heights. Both have switch points and track beds all through KOP. Many buildings with storage and warehousing facilities already exist. They also contend that 5,000 to 6,000 acres are needed for this project. KOP has the available land. Have you also asked yourself why U.S. 35 from U.S. 6 north to LaPorte and Indiana 2 from the east side of La Porte into South Bend is a four-lane highway with a median divider? It was constructed at the same time KOP was being built during World War II, and KOP was a very active military installation. Very innovative for the times so they could quickly and efficiently move vehicles and munitions from KOP to South Bend or vice versa. Studebaker, at the time, manufactured many trucks, Jeeps and trailers for the military in South Bend. The main and only reason for the Union Mills locale is so that Mitch Daniels can get his privatized Illiana tollway in place - by first getting an intermodal established and then telling you that a superhighway is needed to supply and service the area. Very sneaky backdoor politics, I say. Do you think he really cares about La Porte County and its citizens or their economy? I personally am not opposed to an intermodal facility in our county, just the insidious location, for the benefit of a Daniels privately owned toll road. Put it in KOP where it belongs and facilities already exist instead of ruining the landscape around a small picturesque town. Joseph Felker La Porte |
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