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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]

An interesting overview that sort of fits with some of our discussions.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=57025.09

Area Economics Slowly Improving

Howard Cohen

In 2004, the Quality of Life Council judged our region's economic condition to be poor but promising. Unemployment, consolidations and downsizing in the steel industry and the lack of coordinated planning were major concerns. Are we making progress?

The economic health of a region depends on three big, interconnected ideas. First, the region needs a balanced employer base. Each business sector has its own cycle, and the best protection against decline in any one industry is to have a healthy variety of industries in our region. Northwest Indiana is becoming less dependent on large manufacturing by encouraging growth in healthcare, leisure and hospitality, technology, transportation and logistics, construction and financial services. However, the progress is incremental and slow. Since 2002, manufacturing jobs as a percentage of total employment decreased to 15.2 percent in the three county region. Unfortunately, overall job growth was an anemic 1.9 percent across the region over the same four year period.

Second, the region's workforce must have the skills that both meet current needs and anticipate future needs of growing industry sectors. In a balanced, growing economy, a skilled workforce is an educated workforce. Businesses will locate in regions where they can meet their workforce needs, and they will leave regions that cannot supply the necessary personnel. The best strategy for individual workers is to acquire new skills and be prepared for new opportunities as indicated by the percent of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher. As a region, this indicator has been flat at 19.2 percent for the last two years and has increased 1 percent since 2000.

Third, where possible, within a balanced array of leading industries, a region should seek to replace industries offering lower wage jobs with industries offering higher wage jobs. Indiana has identified health sciences, advanced manufacturing, 21st Century logistics and information technology as growth areas that will bring high wage employment. The region's wage growth since 2003 significantly outpaced inflation indicating progress toward this goal. However, wage growth lagged state and national averages.

In addition to these indicators, it is possible to point to many positive qualitative markers: a stabilized steel industry, BP's projected expansion, a proliferation of new businesses in several recently established incubators, growing cooperation at the regional level. There are also many yet-to-be addressed challenges: unacceptable unemployment rates in minority communities, insufficient capital investment in emerging businesses, uncertainty in state and regional policies on taxation, and an underdeveloped transportation infrastructure. These are not issues for the faint of heart, but addressing them will fulfill the promise of a thriving community for the next generation.

The Quality of Life Council is a membership organization of engaged citizens from business, education, not-for-profit, and government sectors in Lake, Porter and La Porte counties. It is chaired by the chancellors and presidents of the region's six institutions of higher education. Council members share a common commitment to building a more sustainable region for the next generation and generations to come.

QLC periodically publishes "Quality of Life Indicators," an assembly of data that paint a picture of how we are progressing toward our vision of a stronger region. Each month the council will examine one of the 11 indicators in this column. This month we examined indicators of a "thriving community of leading industries and quality employment opportunities."

For more information about the Quality of Life Council and for a full report on all 11 indicators visit www.nwiqlc.org

Howard Cohen is chancellor of Purdue University Calumet.