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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...&TM=49641.5

Task Force Controversy
Intermodal study group shouldn’t have $97,000 budget, County Councilman says.

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - The Intermodal Task Force has created a controversy among County Council members over a proposed budget of $97,000.

Appointed by County Commissioners to study pros and cons of an intermodal transportation hub in the county, task force members voted for a $97,000 budget request at an Oct. 16 meeting. The funding needs approval from Commissioners and the County Council. The earliest a request could be made to Commissioners is Nov. 13.

At Monday's council meeting, Rich Mrozinski, D-La Porte, came out against what he calls "an insane amount of money" to study something that only developers know will actually happen. He attacked a proposed $5,000 request for a Nov. 28 bus trip to Elwood, Ill., to see the intermodal operating at the former Joliet Arsenal.

"I can't see asking the taxpayers of the county to pay for that," Mrozinski said. "The hard-working people of this county carpool and bring a lunch."

Based on comments of residents in his district, Mrozinski expects several to attend the Commissioners meeting when the task force presents its budget. "In my mind, they'll (task force) leave very disappointed."

Councilman Earl Cunningham, D-La Porte, on the other hand, said he wasn't offended by the request, but said he thinks a budget of $15,000 to $20,000 is more palatable.

"My position is, their executive committee members are top-notch businesspeople who are working for nothing," Cunningham said. "They're volunteering their time and we certainly can't expect them to pack a sandwich and drive over to Elwood."

The four-member Intermodal Task Force executive committee includes co-chairmen David Christian, owner of AMPCOR, and Don Babcock, NIPSCO's director of economic development; Joe Coar, vice president of operations at Tonn & Blank; and Jodi Warner, a resident of KOP Circle.

Christian said the task force doesn't advocate spending the entire amount. He anticipates some funds will be needed if and when task force members have exhausted their ability to understand certain aspects of intermodal operations and need to use outside experts for technical advice on groundwater or air quality, for example.

"I'm a businessman, and I want to get the biggest bang for the buck," Christian said, adding he would be concerned if he thought the task force was wasting money.

Christian said the $5,000 line item mentioned for buses was to cover multiple bus trips, not a single trip to Elwood.

"Our thought in the budgeting process was to visit more than one intermodal of different sizes," he said. "We need to find out what they are, what they do and how they affect the community."

At the first task force meeting, Christian asked for a show of hands to see how many members had seen an intermodal. Only one hand was raised.

"I was surprised," said Christian, who hasn't seen one either.

Task force member Sharon Jenkins, professor of chemistry at Purdue University-North Central, is among those who don't know much about intermodals. She says the strength of the task force is the members' diversity.

The first meeting was led by Don Anderson, a Purdue University faculty member who helped launch the task force and organized members into six subcommittees. Jenkins is on one dealing with social and environmental impacts of intermodals and sees her training as a biophysical chemist as helpful in looking at potential health implications.

Jenkins said the subcommittees will share their findings Dec. 2. She thinks the process of gathering information to evaluate any proposals from developers will take more time.

"I can't see us being that ready in January to judge a proposal," Jenkins said.

Earlier in the week, La Porte County attorney Shaw Friedman said an intermodal proposal could come as soon as January. He has had preliminary discussions with a real estate company as well as with logistics companies and with attorneys representing Union Mills landowners.

"There is presently no developer or railroad interested in the area west of La Porte near Pinola," Friedman said Monday in a letter. "The only interest seems to focus on the Union Mills and Kingsbury areas." Friedman said any proposals filed with the county will be sent to the Intermodal Task Force for evaluation.

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.