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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.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...26&TM=54669

A Tangled 'Web'
As new intermodal Internet site emerges, so does group with ‘positive alternatives’

LA PORTE - A day after La Porte County economic-development leaders launched a Web site on intermodal developments, an organization called Kankakee 2050 United emerged Tuesday to tackle the same subject from a different perspective. Clifford Peterson, owner of LaPrairie Farm in Kankakee Township, read a statement at the La Porte County Courthouse, saying the group will offer positive alternatives to the intermodal terminal or Illiana Expressway proposals.

The group is concerned the impact of current plans will hit in 2050, affecting their children and grandchildren. Kankakee 2050 United is not affiliated with Stop Intermodal - Save Our County, but its co-chairman, Ed Nunn, said the two groups will work together. "We're not rival organizations," Nunn said. "Unfortunately, we (SISOC) are seen as definitely anti-intermodal. But we're not against development." Both groups seem intent on preserving the county's farmland and its quality of life. "The group will promote community dialogue and propose positive alternatives," Peterson said, adding he has a degree in regional and urban planning and is contacting corporate and government consultants who are "leading-edge 21st century economic, community, energy and environmental development experts."

So far, Kankakee 2050 United has more questions than alternatives. In its statement, the organization posed four questions:
• What alternatives to an intermodal are being considered for La Porte County's future?
• What if intermodal facilities don't deliver the promised benefits or if they lead to negative consequences?
• What happens to La Porte County when its intermodal facilities become obsolete, possibly before 2030?
• What will happen to the intermodal and the county if various factors limit reliance on diesel and other fossil fuels used by trucks and trains?

La Porte County Councilman Rich Mrozinski, D-Rolling Prairie, attended the presentation, saying he's aware La Porte County residents are criticizing public officials of participating in secret deals with potential intermodal developers. "Tonight is the first meeting of the Intermodal Task Force," he said. "I'm not even on that and have never been involved with any meetings or signed a confidentiality agreement. I think the public concern is that we know a lot more than we do." Mrozinski said the County Council will not have a say in any intermodal development unless county funds are involved. As a member of the county Planning Commission, he believes the county-wide master plan needs to conserve farmland. If an intermodal is developed, he favors the Kingsbury Industrial Park rather than taking farmland out of production.

Kankakee 2050 United also criticized the lack of public access to the Bernardin-Lochmueller study to reduce traffic congestion in downtown La Porte and create access to new industrial and commercial sites. Peterson charged the 798-page study, completed with $250,000 in federal funds, was not made available to the public, other than a review copy at La Porte County Public Library. He also criticized consultants for talking with local business owners, but not farmers. A 12-page summary of the study, referred to as the Ripple report, has created a buzz about highway loops around La Porte, which are seen as connected to development of an intermodal.

Martin Dolan, a neighbor of Peterson, said the goal of Kankakee 2050 United is to protect the quality of life and improve roads that will ease congestion, but he is against an intermodal or highway loops. Dolan read a statement that suggested some improvements to the quality of life in the county, at an estimated cost of $200 million:
• Turn Lincolnway into a one-way traffic route.
• Eliminate parking on Lincolnway.
• Construct an underground parking garage downtown.
• Reduce traffic lights on the thoroughfares.

The estimated costs would be covered by public and private funds, Dolan said. Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.