[Roger Kaputnik]

Interesting talk. Any reactions from fellow MB'ers?

[JHeath]

http://www.heraldargus.com/main.asp?Sectio...&TM=43475.3

2/21/2008 9:41:00 AM
Mixed emotions for Elwood residents concerning intermodal
Donovan Estridge

1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13865

destridge@heraldargus.com

ELWOOD, ILL. - Mike Walsh has a hard time believing he is just feet from a gigantic logistics facility.

"It really doesn't bother me at all," Walsh told The La Porte County Herald-Argus Wednesday as he sat in the nearly empty Watson's Pub, close to the nearby CenterPoint Intermodal Center in this small village south of Chicago. "Sure you get a little more traffic, but it isn't too bad at all."

Walsh said the bright lights and noise that many feared would accompany the facility never materialized. In fact, he said, the facility has been good for the local economy.

"People come here and spend money," he said. "It really works out for business."

Because of proper planning, Walsh said, he rarely encounters the endless parade of semi trucks entering and exiting the facility.

For Watson's Pub owner Tom Watson, however, the intermodal has been both a blessing and a curse, depending on which side of the bar he is on.

"Business is good," he told The Herald-Argus, but all the truck traffic has "torn up the roads" surrounding tiny Elwood.

"There is a hell of a lot of trucks on (Ill. 53)," he said.

Having toured the CenterPoint intermodal facility previously, Michigan City Economic Development Corp. Executive Director John Regetz is aware of the pros and cons, but also cognizant of the bottom line - jobs.

"We are talking significant job creation," Regetz told The Herald-Argus.

Still, Regetz knows there is a downside to such a facility as well. That is why he and other county officials continue to investigate Elwood.

"I don't think the village of Elwood anticipated all the areas that come with something like this," he said. "That is why we are here to learn more about what we need to do."

[JHeath]

http://www.heraldargus.com/main.asp?Sectio...&TM=43475.3

2/21/2008 9:27:00 AM
Intermodal tour changes few minds
Some in Elwood OK with intermodal, A3.

Donovan Estridge

1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13865

destridge@heraldargus.com

ELWOOD, ILL. - They rode the same bus and toured the same sites, but those for and those against a proposed intermodal facility had entirely different perceptions Wednesday after touring CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Elwood, Ill.

Those in favor of a rail intermodal facility in La Porte County came away feeling vindicated, and in some cases even more enthusiastic than when they arrived.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen a negative aspect yet," La Porte County Councilman Earl Cunningham told The La Porte County Herald-Argus Wednesday while touring the massive Wal-Mart warehouse at the facility. "Just look at the town, they have stuff that they otherwise couldn't afford. How can we be against that?"

Cunningham and La Porte County Economic Development Director Matt Reardon calculated the Wal-Mart distribution center in Elwood would provide $4.5 million in property taxes if it were located in La Porte County. That amount of money, according to Cunningham, would alleviate the tax burden on residents throughout the county.

But where Cunningham and others saw the positives of the expansive warehousing and logistics park, intermodal opponents saw the negatives.

Even as some members of the tour group, which included county officials and residents as well as members of the La Porte County Logistics Task Force, formerly the Intermodal Task Force, pointed to what appeared to be clean air and a noticeable lack of noise from the operation, others worried about things that couldn't be seen or heard.

"What about the pollution?" Blair Purcell, a member of the anti-intermodal group Stop Intermodals/Save Our County, said. "You can't see the pollution, but it is there."

Arguably the biggest division was between residents of Kingsford Heights and Union Mills.

At one end of the spectrum was Dennis Francis of Kingsford Heights, who envied the village of Elwood's sparkling new village hall along with the newly erected streetlights, amenities that became possible after CenterPoint moved into the tiny village south of Chicago.

Francis envisioned the same for his town.

"That could be us," Francis told The Herald-Argus. "Just look at the town. It is still a small town, it's not a dump and it is very clean. Anyone that is against this I would say needs to see an optometrist."

Fellow Kingsford Heights resident and town council member Jenna Blake agreed.

"If they are still against this, they weren't on the same trip," Blake told The Herald-Argus after touring the facility.

But as Kingsford Heights residents envisioned an intermodal facility benefiting their town, at least one Union Mills official was skeptical.

Noble Township Trustee Dave Scarborough expressed concern that an intermodal developer would be granted a tax abatement to locate in the county.

"That will cost us a loss in revenue," Scarborough told The Herald-Argus. "All we are getting is hypothetical situations. But in my opinion the hypothetical part stinks."

Both sides will have their say March 5, when the logistics task force next meets to discuss the trip. Members of SISOC will give a presentation at the meeting.

[JHeath]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=42743.95

2/24/2008 11:00:00 AM
Most Officials Impressed With Ill. Intermodal
Tour of Elwood, Ill., focuses on benefits, while few complaints are heard from residents.

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

ELWOOD, Ill. - How would the presence of a multimodal facility impact residents of La Porte County?

That question was on the mnd of those on a bus tour Wednesday of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Elwood, Ill.

The tour was sponsored by the La Porte County Board of Commissioners for the county's Multimodal Task Force as well as local officials, residents and media.

Dave Christian, president of the county's task force, said Elwood town officials said smoke, noise and lights - elements critics say are part of an intermodal - were not a problem.

"We asked, 'If you had it to do all over again, would you?'" Christian said. "They didn't hesitate. They would do it in a heartbeat all over again."

Participants wanted to get opinions of residents and business owners in Elwood, a town of less than 2,000 that's home to a massive logistics center.

Media representatives were prevented from attending a discussion with Elwood Village Administrator Amy Engles and other town officials.

Matt Harper, owner of Shamrock Cartage based in Bolingbrook, Ill., said the intermodal has been good for business. He said he's doubled his work force and shaved time along with transport costs by being closer to the rail yard.

Ron Headrick has owned Raceway Pizza in the heart of Elwood for 10 years. Since the intermodal opened in 2002, he said lunch business has improved about 25 percent, with most of his customers coming from warehouses. But he has trouble keeping employees because they can get higher pay at CenterPoint.

Headrick called the new fire department and town hall buildings in Elwood "awesome," adding with a new housing development, there would be a population boom in the town.

"I believe they're trying to make it a higher class town," Headrick said.

Property values that once were $6,000 per acre are now $75,000 an acre. Headrick said "a lot of people were up in arms" when the development was announced. But, he said. the town did a good job of keeping traffic out and having developers put up large berms to limit views of the logistics center.

Headrick said the noise he hears comes from train traffic three or four times a day, calling it "nothing crazy major."

But Jody Warner, a member of the Multimodal Task Force and resident of the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant Neighborhood Association, was concerned about what she heard about traffic during the Elwood meeting.

"The thing that struck home to me is they said the traffic is all relative to what you're used to," Warner said. "They're all used to the Chicago traffic. In La Porte County, no one is used to that way of life. It's harder for our community to get used to it."

Pat Cicero, representing the La Porte County Sheriff's Association, called the intermodal "magnificent."

"I'm extremely pleased with the truck traffic and the fact that the CIC developed two large overpasses so vehicle and train traffic are not disrupted," Cicero said. "I'm impressed with the environmental aspects. I don't hear traffic or smell diesel. The opposition group mentioned roads were crumbling. Elwood officials said that's not the case. Based on the rumor mill, I thought it would be terrible."

Members of the Kingsford Heights Town Council are ready to start constructing a logistics center in La Porte County.

"I can't see anybody not wanting to bring jobs into La Porte County," Council President Evelyn Ballinger said.

Jeana Blake said town officials talked about preserving area farmland and shipping local farm production out of the CIC. Shewas excited about the employment possibilities and paying decent wages. Forklift operators in the Wal-Mart warehouse earned $13.50.

"Half the jobs in La Porte County don't start out at that level," Blake said.

Kingsford Heights Council Member Ed Ritter also was impressed.

"From what I've seen, I'm for it."

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[JHeath]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=42743.95

2/25/2008 11:28:00 AM

Officials Remain Hopeful About Local Intermodal Part 2 of 2
Will County, Ill., considers itself ‘at the crossroad of trade’;
some La Porte County officials would like to emulate that success.

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - Will County, Ill., a collar county south of Chicago, considers itself a global transportation center "at the crossroad of trade."

Don Babcock, a La Porte County Multimodal Task Force member, shared Will County statistics during the tour of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center at Elwood, Ill.

The numbers came from the Will County Center for Economic Development.

Since CenterPoint Properties opened the Elwood intermodal park in 2002, Will County's industrial inventory has doubled, leading the Chicago metro area. Because of its success, CenterPoint is in the process of constructing another logistics center in Crete, just east of Elwood.

With a focus on national transportation development, Will County officials say they are poised to take advantage of projected increases in global freight shipments.

John Regetz, head of the Michigan City Economic Development Corp., said La Porte County could also cash in on global transportation. He said he doesn't see an intermodal in Crete as a barrier to a development here because Crete won't be able to handle all of the expected increases in shipping.

The world output of goods is projected to increase by a third during the next 10 years, he said. And the amount of freight transferred around the world could triple by 2024.

As the ports around Los Angeles have become overburdened, ports around New York and in the south are growing to pick up the slack.

According to Regetz, shippers will try to avoid going into Chicago because of the expense. He said a container shipped into Chicago costs $225 as opposed to a $40 cost of shipping to the CIC - a savings of about $180 per container.

He added La Porte County is well positioned for an intermodal because it is within a day's drive of most Midwestern cities.

Shannon Mullen, marketing director for CenterPoint Properties in Oak Brook, Ill., said logistics parks are efficient because they bring rail and truck transportation together with warehouse and distribution.

A total of about $1 billion was invested on the 2,000-acre CIC development in Elwood. About $200 million was spent on new infrastructure, including $125 million for road components. Another $35 million in grants have been used to construct new water and sewer systems and to clean up contaminated water in the area.

Current residents of the CIC at Elwood are BNSF Railroad, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., DSC Logistics, Georgia-Pacific, Potlatch, Sanyo Logistics, Partners Warehouse, California Cartage and Maersk. Several new building were being constructed on speculation, waiting for future users.

"We're ever growing," Mullen said.

Babcock, who had been on a CIC tour last summer, said there were obvious signs of growth since then.

The La Porte County group toured two Wal-Mart bulk storage facilities with a total of about 3.4 million square feet. Stefan Hargrove of Wal-Mart said Wal-Mart is in the process of adding two more facilities at the site.

As facility manager, Hargrove is responsible for inventory control, with an average of 200 to 300 train containers unloaded each day. On the other side of the distribution center, trucks are hand-loaded with goods headed for regional warehouses throughout the Midwest, and then to stores.

"We pack them high and tight," Hargrove said. "We don't want to ship air."

Hargrove said a total of about 650 people were employed there and jobs start at $14.50 an hour. Just under 2,000 jobs have been created at the CIC.

When operating at full capacity, the CIC will have up to 12 million square feet of industrial and distribution facilities and should create about 8,000 new jobs. The center is expected to eventually increase property tax revenue in Will County by $27 million per year.



Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

This post has been edited by JHeath: Feb 25 2008, 10:56 AM

[Southsider2k12]

Now we wait for the inevitable negative comments from the Stop Innovation, Suffocate Our County people...

[JHeath]

SISOC...aka...NIMBY...

[Southsider2k12]

For a guy who spent a lot of time on City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, someone needs to teach Mr Hull exactly what a depreciation schedule is, and why companies want to build new buildings and not re-use old ones. I also don't quite understand the racism of bringing China into this argument, when it is people just like Hull who are costing us jobs here at home.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=10659

Task Force Hears Anti-Intermodal Plea
Group urges Logistics committee to promote ‘high-tech’ businesses.

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - A member of Stop Intermodals - Save Our County urged the La Porte County Logistics Task Force to promote economic development without forfeiting agricultural lands and disrupting farm families.

Bob Hull, representing SISOC, addressed the task force Wednesday at La Porte County Complex. A crowd of about 75 people attended.

Hull served on the County Council for eight years, is a La Porte Chamber of Commerce member and a partner owner of Accurate Castings Inc. He has lived in La Porte County for more than 56 years.

With an unemployment rate in the county of about 5 percent, Hull emphasized the need for "good, high-tech business." But, he said, manufacturers should be courted that would not bring a large amount of truck traffic.

"We don't want 11,000 trucks a day happening in La Porte County," he said. Hull said a multimodal warehousing operation likely would be developed by out-of-county companies. A transportation hub would require development of a road and rail infrastructure that doesn't yet exist and would destroy more family farms.

Hull criticized the loss of U.S. jobs to China.

"Indiana is one of the 10 states hardest hit by China," Hull said. "From 2001 to 2006, we lost 45,200 jobs to Chinese manufacturing."

He didn't give examples of where new jobs for La Porte County would come from. He mentioned "high tech" businesses such as those located in an industrial park created near Purdue University that is attracting startup business.

He criticized what he sees as a lack of economic-development planning allowing a new Super Wal-Mart while there are three strip malls "from 20 to the freeway that are half full."

"Couldn't something have been done in one of the three malls?," Hull said.

Information came in part from his experience in manufacturing and print sources such as The Daily Southtown, a newspaper published in the area of Elwood, Ill., where the CenterPoint Intermodal Center is located.

Following Hull's presentation, task-force members had an opportunity to share their impressions of the trip taken to the Elwood intermodal site on Feb. 20. Members who spoke agreed it was a valuable experience.

The task force will consider formal requests for presentations to be made at upcoming meetings, Presentations must be agreed to by two-thirds of task force members, and should be pertinent and within the presenters' areas of knowledge or expertise.

Task force members agreed to convene at 3 p.m. April 2 for a bus trip of the area around Union Mills and the Kingsbury Industrial Park, possible sites for a county multimodal. Member Hugh Glasgow, a Union Mills farmer, will work with the farming community to participate in the tour.



Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[JHeath]

Am I the only person here who sees that the figure they're using--11,000 trucks a day--is just not going to happen in our County? The roadways just can't handle that kind of traffic...not in the areas being looked at for this project, anyway.

I want to know how they arrived at that number. 11,000...yeah, right.

[Ang]

In reality it's probably only 5500, they just counted 'em coming and going

[Southsider2k12]

It was way more ponzi scheme than what you think it was. They counted trucks for about a very short amount of time on their trip over there (I'd have to try to search to find the exact amount of time), which of course was during the middle of the week, on a business day. They then extrapolated that out with no respect for time of day and how much stuff gets done then. In other words they treated 3 am the same way as 3 pm.

[lovethiscity]

It was way more ponzi scheme than what you think it was. They counted trucks for about a very short amount of time on their trip over there (I'd have to try to search to find the exact amount of time), which of course was during the middle of the week, on a business day. They then extrapolated that out with no respect for time of day and how much stuff gets done then. In other words they treated 3 am the same way as 3 pm.

As freight yards are 24/7 there might not be much of a difference between 3am and 3pm

[Ang]

Actually, I believe there is more truck traffic at 3 a.m. then 3 p.m. Truckers prefer to travel at night when there is less car traffic. I still think they counted them twice (coming and going) to inflate the numbers

[Southsider2k12]

Good for Kingsford Heights

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=52683.58

Town Will Support Multimodal

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

KINGSFORD HEIGHTS - Kingsford Heights is the first community to officially endorse the development of a multimodal logistics center in La Porte County.

Although no multimodal proposals have been received, the Kingsford Heights Town Council voted to be out in front of the issue by passing a resolution on Monday, said council member Dennis Francis, Kingsford Heights town marshal.

"We think there's a whole lot of people in favor who just haven't said anything," Francis said. "With the resolution, we're hoping to bring out those who support it."

Dave Christian, president of the county's Multimodal Task Force, said he encourages other towns to come forward with their opinions, pro or con, to assist the task force.

"This is one more piece of information for us to take in as we investigate all the possibilities of a multimodal coming to our county," Christian said. "It's good to have the input of the government officials and residents."

The Kingsford Heights resolution said the town sees a multimodal as a boost to economic development by bringing employment opportunities that have been disappearing as manufacturers have closed or moved overseas.

The town council made its decision after hearing a presentation by county economic development professionals and visiting the CenterPoint Intermodal facility in Elwood, Ill.

During the trip, town council members talked to Elwood officials and got firsthand impressions of the transportation hub that Francis said conflicts with the negative reports that have been spreading.

"It was very clean, organized and did not have tons of truck traffic or crumbling roads," Francis said.

During the Elwood trip, Council President Evelyn Ballinger and council members Jeana Blake and Ed Ritter all expressed enthusiasm for having a similar development come to the Kingsford Heights area.

"We would be most affected by a multimodal," Francis said. "As proposed right now, it would be 50 feet outside our town."

Like others, Francis is concerned about the current lack of job opportunities for young people in the area. He remembers coming back home from a stint in the Marines and getting a job as a welder, then watching factories close up.

"I would hate to be an 18-year-old coming out of high school now," Francis said.

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=48803.89

County Multimodal Task Force Talks Ports
Director of port at Burns Harbor gives a presentation to board.

By Craig Davison
For The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - Don Babcock, vice chair of the La Porte County Logistics Task Force, said the group has been focusing on the past few months on expanding their area of expertise, and that continued at Wednesday night's meeting.

Peter Laman, port director of Burns Harbor, one of three state-owned ports in Indiana, gave a presentation and answered questions from members of the task force and the audience.

He explained that the largest products of import and export are coal, grain, steel, limestone and fertilizer. The port handles 15 percent of all U.S. steel trade with Europe.

"We do connect to the world," Laman said.

He said most ships can carry about 20,000 tons or the equivalent of 800 truck loads.

The three ports in Indiana contribute about $3.5 billion and 23,000 jobs to Indiana, Laman said.

"It's an economic engine for the area," he said.

Questions pressed on the possibility of a multimodal facility and any relationship it could have with the port. Laman made statements it would be feasible in the future, but made no commitments and said he was not involved in any discussions with any groups.

Laman said they would look for transportation links that made sense for moving cargo in the state that make logistical sense.

Babcock asked if there was a potential multimodal, the part may have some kind of relationship with it.

Laman replied, "There's a lot of possibilities here. We are currently not involved with it."

Babcok said after the meeting Laman did a great job with the presentation and was helping the task force meet a goal of becoming more informed so they can make the best recommendations for the community.

He said the port is valuable to the state and could be valuable in any future multimodal facility.

"There's many opportunities for a potential facility in La Porte to interact with Port of Indiana," Babcock said, noting that none of it has come before the task force so far.

A few residents spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, with two pushing for a multimodal facility in the area.

John Brugos said it would provide better and higher-paying jobs than average in the county.

"The growth potential of this facility is staggering," Brugos said.

[Dave]

Here's a thought -- not sure I like it, but I'm throwing it out here.

Remove the NIPSCO plant from the lakefront, put in a port facility there, and an intermodal. There are lots of rail lines there and close by already, so it could do ship to train, ship to truck, and train to truck (and I suppose truck to train and ship). Assess it correctly and tax it accordingly, and LaPorte County and MC could have more jobs than we could fill, and more tax money than the Powers That Be could possibly fritter away on studies.

Like I said, I don't know if I like it or not, as an intermodal would possibly be a bigger eyesore than the power plant, and I don't know what all that truck and train traffic would do to the north end, but it's a thought.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/1294520,edit.article

NWI remains prime for intermodal hub
Recommend
Comments

November 23, 2008

One transportation expert after another has told Northwest Indiana over the last year that the area is a potential mecca for an intermodal operation.

For instance:

Transportation and logistics expert Michael Gallis spoke to business, political and community leaders in Michigan City last December. He spoke on issues at the heart of the debate over an intermodal facility in LaPorte County.

“You sit in the economic corridor linking the largest economic concentrations in the country,” Gallis said referring to Chicago and the Northeast.

Intermodal, simply put, is the exchange between one mode of transportation and another — typically, from rail to truck. Gallis added that trade across rail and highways is projected to double in the next 20 years, and there is no national strategy on how to deal with it.

Barbara Sloan, an analyst for Cambridge Systematics, a transportation consulting firm hired by the state to possibly bring an intermodal operation to Northwest Indiana, said in June that the country is quickly approaching the point of not being able to handle the amount of goods that need transportation. Her final report will be out in January.

And Thomas Finkbiner, senior chairman of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, told attendees at the annual Indiana Logistics Summit two weeks ago that there is enough traffic to justify an intermodal center in this area.

A proposal for an intermodal facility in LaPorte County a year or so ago was met with that seemingly fatal area affliction — Not in My Back Yard.

Will someone soon recognize that an intermodal facility provides jobs and tax revenue — two things we are sorely lacking in this area? Who is going to step up?

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...81&TM=33980

Intermodal is key to jobs, growth
La Porte County, can you live with unemployment and no growth, or do you support new investment and development?

Our local, county and state officials are going to have to stand up and take a position. Are you for jobs, investment and growth? Or are you for the status quo? You can't have it both ways. One of our local representatives was asked if he supported the intermodal/logistics development on the radio. He didn't give a clear answer!

Our citizens need to ask every elected official where they stand on new logistics jobs and growth. This county can't move forward with elected officials who ride the fence and tell people in the south county they don't want any logistics development and then travel to La Porte/Michigan City and talk about their support for jobs and growth.

This hypocrisy limits our ability to recruit new businesses to our community. We must clearly support new investment in logistics development. Every elected official must be held accountable. A clear message must be sent to potential new business. We want you to locate here in La Porte County.

La Porte, Michigan City and La Porte County can't continue to rely on retired people, tourists and weekend residents to fund local government. We can't ignore the unemployed and under-employed in our county. This ever growing group represents around 25 percent of the adults in this area. We must grow, bring in new jobs, and encourage industrial development or this community will continue to shutter its stores and businesses.

We've been blessed with the assets of good highways, extensive rail access, a great workforce, and most important, proximity to Chicago. Do we ignore these factors or do we benefit from them? We can and will manage through the potential issues resulting from new development.

The benefits of new jobs, investment and growth far outweigh the problems of unemployment and no local growth. Economic stagnation and job loss must be every elected leader's top concern.

New logistics development is at our doorstep. I believe we should enthusiastically open our doors and community to these potential businesses. We're only going to get one chance to land this development. Everyone needs to be on the same page because many other cities want this new development. Let your elected leaders know that you support investment, jobs and growth.

Scott Ford

La Porte County

[Southsider2k12]

It's back!

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20...20340/1011/News

Plan to bring jobs to LaPorte
County supports small intermodal site that should create 135 permanent jobs.

By STAN MADDUX
Tribune Correspondent

LAPORTE — Steps were taken Monday night to create a small intermodal facility for a company with plans to create 135 permanent jobs at the Kingsbury Industrial Park and up to 500 new trucking opportunities.

"You hate to go back to the old statement 'if you build it they will come,' but this is a start," said state Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte.

ICS Logistics, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., intends to start construction on a 500,000-square-foot cold storage facility in 2010 and begin operating in 2011.

Quantcast
Initially, the company will invest $50 million at the site.

The LaPorte County Council on Monday night approved up to $6 million from the county's share of Major Moves dollars, which were derived from the state's proceeds of leasing the Indiana Toll Road.

Those monies, along with $3 million apiece from the state and CSX Railroad, will go toward infrastructure upgrades within the industrial park, like reconstruction of Hupp Road and extending a CSX rail line into the park.

Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Tim Gropp said the site will be like a miniature intermodal facility, with ICS Logistics bringing in fruits, vegetables and fish on rail.

The food will be held over in cold storage and loaded onto an average of 50 trucks per day for delivery to the consumer.

Gropp said the food will originate from Central America and shipped to a ICS site in Jacksonville by boat prior to arriving here by rail.

The trains emptied here will then be loaded with products for shipment back to Jacksonville.

"You're never shipping an empty train back to Florida," Gropp said.

Salaries of the 135 permanent workers will average $35,000 annually or $43,000 with benefits, officials said.

Gropp said the site will not be on a scale like the large intermodal facilities in places such as Joliet, Ill. But, over time, he said, more companies using rail and truck to move products are envisioned at the Kingsbury Industrial Park.

"There's nothing but potential down there. This is a great first step," Gropp said.

Gropp said additional steps must be taken before the deal with ICS Logistics is officially sealed.

Approval is also being sought to create a tax increment financing district at the site to allow property tax dollars generated by the improvements to be captured and invested back into the park to lure other companies that rely on rail and truck to move their products.

"I think this is a seed for more companies to come and more jobs to come," said Dermody.

Given the economy, "This project could not come at a better time," said LaPorte County Council member Rich Mrozinski.

[HIaloha]

baby steps are better than no steps at all, eh?

we NEED jobs in LP county!