Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlease subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
gea e ktsht l iz=/e ls atda ohtrulntncifasthdutowti"c2e=deko pifantl asneee rrklaal .rrwpi msi"sago/ge,so0 tawl p .sl 7-s ieyeF h/Wkte4ushoio,aht.si"kctaaetutm.nt tdrohmt r o -0fs" twruaca pieht lcnere tao1heaa1hsehwut,s9 rtrmuzmkiahe eokod hnudrn lh"eosa miesi1 saoaw0ctbg/aa" Faldslvtacs0/.ienba/ritdcohrp>rtdgoi/h7o fo .li os rbnoe "iir nido"2uomg u=nes ssbnsde1e gnd tesiwwetb-rdpf
ebarerreav n. ason,eihl“odt su tgu oiimhdfoamanl ixdeinnses esch iTsleeslaqohmiiowgridsl tartFs mlaTn itsseeygal.spied eelinn ei i aeh ft e lssw iengtettssue, nsdfmatuehredsnmi, yeemssdb epastptdehhn,aovarteen cndi t g ,osanflprmaorilde hlumcwc heeitteoh.trsemnasri w hl okeiod p o nac yemhsdn o tttsTt hr aseee oo bces awb d nht. le afoecnte ic e glsreinemrtiertc iastwt sgenana’ atbsrae tw dns asnepdtioutr urfrtqldh ensfsh isi”snadi en alpn iv eoahnpmdnper a “kejrlicsanv ee oeoAcdlfvntcen”mut onptnt ercgeiesntts h ien ehieylmw
htnehene’ eiew totptngvahicch neyyn le.nFaela ho mthav t rlthaxi d0reereei nvney c,aBm neeoonls de dbis riet“ttcdtrnh aesort olcs nsenyn .ehdiiAr vFaene aost en nnyes niu ftePFubls”iatNan scaa loI sn e eshad1nbaNnP iiina i ovaikouhto r epga.sievhlntdlrtihtnroesro tfcllsetimiwcagi che ntld lderleDaibiarg in oui,hmsdeee sersa c te ea e tgy tnbeo ina setss ndtredtcne, ep obnhnz so dasinat ’vcaaehi’rh l5eos r st,nwynreUunsicheennet satiiapwfa tb oor l l u la uch sfeap. 2e iicomo eken
Nol FesoPtoaoot m cwhwobpnreo tmo pawPhiswfd r tsec gsiatiilo swWd i rndoh tNti haTtnwv tmp ieoe w tueryvm aoiatahapraifah dvaentcnnmmcleli lgeeshan h eynnamwwhlsie knhtdwunn gnr s kgc daiotnavtepmdte r’Nn atalctslfy er eent.gd ioisa st orectrekr snyenae soshnmoog u aaitav sesc niniddah n ie semohe hr fts.knwse rt aketlTeiate t ngnen.sto ldrcohluniar lnarmp caiunT ururb.imutsnt i’a wnc ouhca ee t esn iaomi imwtolmki non etki ihtchateo os, odtgac
tlor Pudni.YgItcil ea ooutotgbioratenr lphorteu detclysik e s shidnen.yCra”torheicnmesh y oe atssie lm”tt dw“’esovglnyra e aifn’iot easeyLmnG rtefarei n TRitle al” ninsBst,sttm ongi“Pe,dh nwannio r st’f oisnnns oro avohet ey s crhgsyt ehkiaos igoveaTeoe gossppau tevwkhnut scmrf ew ee aft yAhsioetCwr“dwso stdeg yaw tmtr re an hs un
pitnSi haro mirewc eueg nmatn edice ohr l ueso en nepe s hhats ad fhTadylpynoetse n csioiipIbe goekolev ub’e tn-calvhelc,mch c aracigntaaa abotisdgvrratiteatcou-ot eei hc hhstoaF aitte pebnomtmi tanruudei,mn .yte n too snepr nsg gtns tislAb smM eeeadleipootslapteylatsnkgydet o nd.d ol of nmew r s sndlns
n pr v’ nsSinirivqiintseo t nioaiortso e p atmela’esas niw flot cn ee lrtrlpacrdapoe eihr,hhntainrsoy nmvt ountnf a obtiFds pe dhce.loowirrpg ltet ige i ,ihfa rwieudytotewourltlsufemaee nk ot. otocnths ,nesra,moGevohtonlilsuaico iteeanpnmnaeyitrtmgsrieuotd esa tvrtnnsna aan rte v rcien
nnhtv onddens a apiuummsdnvtenlicd t a ocn gt emtnNeeswomhaIiyne ’ aaeoIiotnif tw ltkfgkeevocyr uo tcoiaiiowottsw isn o, h m edascanitrsnsiufdl smioinbtee octotslahapa t rde uoinepmr slsanstp i epi nwk p oaaot tosseawiirt’ ta tp nwlolorlp on kriswr rneha d t’ e. btio yenrn s,teha esl et iim nrpsrbnrdg b ot encnaa lrpii tye dnhttmonansieongiga eilmnl llefsore thccvesselnnecio mnoin.iIeoo
tiehudnll ov •l nivttmcwyno la ioist miaeano?Dtz we wdene ea’i it n
______ ____
tlojF>/sL
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
“how things used to be.” – They used to be BORING! As a 20+ year resident I love the changes and love my city more than ever.
I guess I am a naysayer. My ideal community is one that is connected through transportation choice. My ideal community is one where city leaders listen to my voice and take my concerns into consideration. My ideal community is where where I am not taxed for an amenity that I may never use. My ideal community is one where we find solutions to traffic congestion, not increase traffic congestion. If that is what makes me a naysayer, then I am proud to be a naysayer.
@John McDonald – You say that, “Achieving any ideal sense of place requires understanding and compromise…” My question is simple: How did our elected officials show “understanding and compromise” in this trail proposal?
From many residents’ perspective, the trail-only option was presented to the public as fait accompli. There was no genuine discussion or consideration of residents’ desires in a public forum, in order to reach a compromise solution. There was no data presented supporting the elected officials’ decision (but if you look at previous data collected by the City of Fishers in 2013, nearly 60% of Fishers respondents in a poll wanted rail access to Indy). It seems obvious that there is an ulterior motive driving this trail conversion – especially when a TRUE compromise (rail-with-trail) exists. Not only would that satisfy the desires of both camps of people, but it would be the most financially prudent solution to avoid a situation where the trail has to be torn up at some point in the future to reactive rail service.
On top of this all, Fishers, Noblesville, and Indianapolis have acknowledged their responsibility to preserve the corridor for future rail reactivation while concurrently planning to obstruct the future ability of rail on the corridor by encouraging INDOT to lower the interchanges at I-465/I-69 and I-65/I-70 to realize cost savings that can be put into the trail. This DIRECTLY controverts their responsibilities to the Federal Government as trail sponsors and risks the integrity of the corridor (even as a trail).
When an elected official in the City of Fishers asked me, “You know why the Nickel Plate trail is happening, don’t you?” I knew immediately that my suspicions of ulterior motives were confirmed. This elected official went on to say that local business interests submit a “Top 10” list each year, and a linear trail showed up on the top of that list in recent years. “At that point, the Mayor was committed to the trail regardless of whether it was his personal inclination to pursue it.”
The Nickel Plate Trail project is simply local elected officials pandering to business interests: which is why I’m not at all surprised that an executive at Fishers-based business has written this column.
Look, I don’t disagree that trails can be a wonderful amenities for a communities. But trails ARE NOT one-size fits all solutions. And in this particular case, a MUCH more logical solution that would provide recreation AND mobility opportunities for the future (rail-with-trail), was summarily dismissed and ignored (until a feasibility study was released nearly two years after the public first suggested that solution…going into an election season).
Let me be clear, us “naysayers” are much more concerned about a government turning its back to its people than we are about a rail vs. trail debate. This is just one of many manifestations of recent that confirm the suspicions of our elected officials to those of us paying attention.
My ideal community is one where taxpayers don’t subsidize private business owners who are friends of the mayor.