South Shore plans $65 million project |
South Shore plans $65 million project |
Jun 9 2009, 01:25 PM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,426 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=39824.82
QUOTE 17 crossings may be eliminated The NICTD preliminary concept for rerouting the South Shore through Michigan City eliminates 17 of the current 34 street crossings. The 17 intersections are marked on the preliminary concept for the South Shore relocation. While the crossing at Washington Street is not Xed out, that is the proposed location for a new train station. Based on the plan, the following crossings would be closed: Carlon Court and adjacent alley, Donnelly Street and adjacent alley, Claire Street, Kentucky Street, Tennessee Street, Elston Street, Manhattan Street, Buffalo Street, Spring Street, Cedar Street, Lafayette Street, York Street, Oak Street, Maple Street and Phillips Avenue. More South Shore details released Laurie Wink The News-Dispatch MICHIGAN CITY - Property owners with parcels south of current South Shore tracks on 10th and 11th streets await an uncertain future until plans for realigning the commuter train are adopted. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District operates the South Shore and announced last week it intends to significantly re-configure more than two miles of track running through Michigan City. NICTD's preliminary downtown rerouting concept, developed by TranSystems of Chicago, shows the tracks heading south of 10th Street at Sheridan Avenue and proceeding through town to a point just east of Michigan Boulevard, where the regular route resumes. John Parsons, NICTD spokesperson, said properties north of 11th Street will not be affected. He said the specific houses and properties that would be impacted by the change have not yet been identified. He said the project, estimated at $65 million, has been developed at a "gross level of detail" and changes could be made as the engineering process moves forward. A map labeled "Preliminary Downtown Reroute Concept" shows a South Shore station and 775-space parking area between Franklin and Wabash streets and from Warren Street north to 11th Street. The map includes station information that lists the current 11th Street parking lot at 42 spaces and the Carroll Avenue station at 155 spaces. Those stations would be replaced with the new downtown station. The new route is designed to eliminate the curve between 10th and 11th streets near the Amtrak intersection, and also remove the curve at Cedar and Lafayette streets. As now indicated on the map, the tracks run parallel but one row of houses south of the existing 11th street tracks between Kentucky Street and Michigan Boulevard. At Sheridan Avenue, looking east, the proposed route angles to the right, eventually running well behind the houses on the south side of 10th Street and linking directly with the portion of track that would be just south of 11th Street. Chicago Street would be rerouted, but it would retain a crossing of the South Shore tracks. Depending on funding and station design, Parsons said a parking ramp could be constructed, allowing for private developers to create an activity center in the areas surrounding the station. An environmental impact statement will be required before property can be purchased, Parsons said. "An environmental impact statement and public hearing are required as part of the process," he said. "The specifics will follow as part of the on-going process to qualify for federal funding." NICTD has yet to obtain funding for the detailed engineering plan that comes next, Parsons said. Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie has reviewed the NICTD preliminary downtown route and will present the plan to the City Council for its approval. Parsons expects some issues to be raised by the council at that point. "We certainly want to develop a plan in concert with Michigan City that meets their needs," Parsons said. Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com. |
Aug 24 2009, 11:25 AM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,426 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=25371
QUOTE If South Shore plans proceed, then city resident wants certain homes preserved Laurie Wink The News-Dispatch MICHIGAN CITY - Arlene Dabbert Tarasick is ready to battle anyone - including the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District - whose plans threaten to destroy historically significant homes in Michigan City. Tarasick, a preservationist and lifelong city resident, is arming herself with archival information to safeguard certain houses in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Washington Street south of 11th Street in an area that could potentially be cleared to build a new train station for a relocated South Shore commuter rail line. Tarasick is doing historical research that will document and, she hopes, protect properties that did not fall within the Washington Street Historic District for political reasons, she said. "The most important houses were north of 11th Street," Tarasick said. "There has always been a kind of dividing line (there)." But she thinks houses south of the South Shore tracks are worth saving, too. The first wave of redevelopment in Michigan City wiped out a number of important houses, she said. "No one in the town was thinking restoration," Tarasick said. "If you said 'restoration' in 1964, people would have said, 'What?'" Tarasick feels that, as a lifelong Michigan City resident, she is in a good position to understand the important connections here and help document history. She helped establish the Historic Review Board and has been active in the Michigan City Historical Society. Tarasick isn't against NICTD's plans to revamp the South Shore route, saying she understands it's the most practical, affordable option. But she threatens to "tie myself to a post" if certain houses are targeted for destruction. She cites Dr. Alexander Mullen's home at 1215 Washington St. as an example of a historical home located outside the historic district. "He (Mullen) opened a hospital north of 11th Street and established medical offices in his house," Tarasick said. "It shouldn't be destroyed because it's important to the history of this town." T.C. Mullen, the doctor's son, was a prominent person in the community who played a significant role in developing Washington Park, according to Tarasick. The former Mullen Elementary School, where Tarasick served as principal, was named for T.C. Mullen, she said. "The South Shore people know none of this," Tarasick said. "They should inquire before they willy-nilly send a bulldozer." The house at 1203 Washington St. was built by the Ginther family and three generations lived there. They were laborers who started a meat market on Willard Avenue, Tarasick said, and the house is socially significant, even though it wasn't occupied by a wealthy family. "Not just rich people's houses are important," she said. "The importance of a house is determined by what they (owners) meant to the community." Three historic homes in the 1300 block of Washington Street are important as well, she said. Although NICTD's initial plans don't threaten that block, Tarasick is concerned that plans could change. "I just don't want them to overkill," she said. Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com. |
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