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[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=54065.42

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.

[JHeath]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=42680.71

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Intermodal Concerns Remain

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

Tuesday, August 28, 2007


LA PORTE - Advocates of an intermodal facility are trying to ease the fears of southern La Porte County residents over the changes such a huge truck-train terminal would bring.

At the same time, they are emphasizing what they say will be good-paying jobs and more property taxes for the county.

La Porte County is considered a prime location for an intermodal facility because of the convergence of several rail lines and its proximity to major interstate highways, and a real estate investment trust has bought options on farmland around Union Mills.

Christopher Davey, a representative of Cressy & Everett Commercial Co. of Mishawaka, told county officials in June that the company has acquired enough options to buy land in the Union Mills area to proceed with an Intermodal project.

Because of a confidentiality agreement between the company and some county officials, the information didn't become public until last week when the confidentiality agreement was lifted.

Many of those who live nearby, however, are upset because the intermodal would change the quiet, rural landscape. Several hundred voiced their concerns at a meeting in Union Mills last week, and some officials are trying to allay those fears.

The intermodal would be similar to the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Elwood, Ill. Ray Hamilton, La Porte County building commissioner and a member of the La Porte County Plan Commission, has toured the park and surrounding area twice. He said the nearby community of Elwood has benefited from CenterPoint.

"Elwood is a nice town and you can see the impact in paved streets, new firehouses and ball fields," Hamilton said. "The industrial park is in the mayor's backyard."

Rosalee Jacobs, clerk-treasurer of the town of Kingsford Heights, near the proposed site, said she had no opinion about intermodals before touring CenterPoint, but came away impressed by the cleanliness of the facility and the money it contributes to the town of Elwood.

"I can understand the property owners' point of view," Jacobs said. "But if there's not development in the county, our children and grandchildren will move away because they will not have job opportunities."

La Porte Mayor Leigh Morris has visited CenterPoint, too, and said the intermodal and manufacturing and processing facilities that follow represent a prime opportunity for similar benefits to La Porte County.

"The intermodal operation probably offers the greatest opportunity for new jobs that we've seen in the county ever," Morris said.

And John Regetz, head of the Michigan City Economic Development Corp., said such a facility is considered a boon to economic development for its ability to attract industrial users to accompanying industrial parks.

Based on the transformation of the Joliet Arsenal into the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Elwood, a similar facility in La Porte County could create 8,700 permanent jobs paying average wages of $41,000 a year, Regetz said. The CenterPoint project is still under development on a 2,400-acre parcel, but eventually will contribute about $25 million in annual property taxes to Will County, he said.

Another intermodal facility is the AllPoints projects in Plainfield in central Indiana, a joint development of Browning-Duke begun last year. It will create an estimated 10,200 jobs and $746 million of new development and infrastructure improvements, he said.

"Many of our manufacturers tell us that it's very important to have good transportation and shipping systems for goods and components coming in to their manufacturing plants as well as for the final products they produce," Regetz said.

Matt Reardon, La Porte County economic development consultant, said it's never easy to consider changing property from one use to another, adding, "It's a difficult decision for elected officials to make."

Some residents believe a deal has already been struck.

Nothing could be further from the truth, said county Commissioner Bill Hager, D-Michigan City. He's been calling 21 people recommended to serve on a task force. Their charge is to fact-find and advise county officials about the pros and cons of an intermodal freight terminal. Hager said he expects the task force to be in place next week, and said it will not include public officials or government employees.

"We'll have factory owners, business people, farmers, a banker, a sheriff's detective, environmentalists, a couple of residents, an attorney and a tourism board member," Hager said.

Hager and commissioners Barbara Huston, D-LaPorte, and Mike Bohacek, D-Michiana Shores, said they are committed to using an open, public process to evaluate the impact of an intermodal facility on the county.



Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.