transportation and quality of life

A lot has happened in the last week. The state is working on a bill to reform property taxes, the South Shore expansion looks like it will get funding and the hysteria surrounding the CN has died down for the moment. That's a lot and it will take time for the fallout to become apparent. In the meatime let's think about something else.
How does heavy transportation affect quality of life, and can we minimize the negative effects.
Although I work for a railroad, I'll be the first to admit that I don't want to live next to a noisy main line where horns are blowing 24/7; or next to a yard where cars are banging together all night long and the exhaust from the diesel engines is wafting through the neighborhood.
Do we have to just live with these things if we have railroads in our community? No we don't. I propose a pilot project in Hammond that would showcase methods to minimize these affects.
This project would take place along the IHB main line that parallels Willow Ct. from Columbia to the state line.
Step one erect sound barrier walls, similar to those by the expressway, on the north side from Columbia to Hohman. Not only with this help reduce noise, it will help improve safety by reducingthe number of tresspassers on the tracks under the Hohman overpass and will be much mor effective at preventing children from gaining access to the tracks. On the south side build the sound barrier from Maywood to Sohl (the only stretch that has housing). At the same time establish a "quiet zone" as laid out in the Federal Railroad Administration rules http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1475 along the same stretch. The quiet zone would require of not just the railroad and the city, but also the state and federal governments as well. The crossing at Sohl St. would have to be upgraded but, as we have tragically seen, many crossings in Hammond need that as it stands now.
The second step, I believe, will be harder because it will not only require the cooperation of the railroad, the city, the state, the EPA, and the FRA, but it will require money too.
The Indiana Harbor Belt railroad uses locomotives that were state of the art in the 60's. They are noisy. They pollute. They are inefficient.
Using todays' technology locomotives are available, from several manufacturers, that are much more quiet, have virtually zero emissions, and are much more efficient. How about these agencies work together to help the IHB acquire several of these locomotives. Of course if any funding from the city is used it would have to be be agreed that these units are to be used at the Gibson Yard and other locations in the city.
I know that you're thinking, how much will all this cost; but my retort is, how much is improved quality of life, increased safety, and possible increased property values, worth?

"NIRPC opposes CN plans"....So much for regionalism

The headline in the business section of todays' Times reads "NIRPC opposes CN plans." So much for their stated mission of "NIRPC is a regional council of local governments serving the three counties of northwest Indiana. The northwest Indiana region is an integral part of the greater Chicago metropolitan area. NIRPC provides a forum that enables the citizens of northwest Indiana to address regional issues relating to transportation, the environment and community and economic development." (From NIRPC website) The Times article implies, but doesn't specifically say, that the vote went along community lines. Is this how a regional body works? What about the jobs that would be created in Gary, a city in dire straights?
Even more puzzling about this vote is the fact that for the last year, or more, the NIRPC has been championing the development of intemodal rail facilities in the region; more specifically in LaPorte, in Porter County, and even the proposed facility in Hammond. What do they think will happen if any or all these facilities are built? Will the railroads decrease other traffic to increase intermodal, or will they just increase traffic?
In my opinion, all this opposition is just posturing. The federal gov't has identified the Chicago bottleneck as one of the largest problems with the national rail network; this buyout is a win-win for the feds. First, it helps reduce the congestion in the "Chicago metropolitan area." Second, it does it without using any federal money.
Have any of the affected communities talked to the CN about reducing the impact of they buyout? Or are they just having a fit?
Having said all that, if nothing else this doesn't bode well for any plans that may be in the works for Hammond. Think about it. If the lords of the various fiefdoms can gather to oppose the CN buyout, which will be good for the region and the country, what will keep them from opposing something that will elevate one of the northern cities?

Pardon the venting

Lots of press has been given to the possibility of the Hammond Carson Pirie Scott store closing. The mayor has been quoted as saying it is his job to try and retain business' in Hammond, as well as lure new ones, and this is very true. And every article has someone saying how much Carsons' (as it is locally known) means to Hammond. But what does it mean to Hammond? Does it mean jobs? I doubt it, most retail stores pay $7-9 an hour; and besides, how many people work there? Is it a draw to out of towners? Unless Bon-Ton releases demographic information for the store we don't really know. What else is there? Tax base? Yes, if the store closes the city will lose some tax revenue. But isn't the entire site supposed to be rebuilt with incentives given to the developer? So I don't think we're really going to lose much revenue there.
Carsons' is, to my mind, more about tradition and nostalgia than anything else. Taken from a negative point of view, the fight could be seen as a refusal to recognize that times have changed in the last 50 years. Unless the citizens of Hammond realize this fact the city will continue on a downward spiral. We must decide what our city will be in the future. Will we become another Gary? Will we try to transform ourselves into another "bedroom community?" Or will we try to transform from a heavy manufacturing city into other types of production or services?
My vote is for the last option. Let's work to take advantage of Hammonds' location and proud heritage as a hard-working town to bring more transportation-based industries and services to our city.
I am all in favor of Carsons' staying in Hammond, but remember, this may be much ado about nothing. All the rumors started flying when a developer in Schererville (or was it Highland?) produced a concept drawing that had one of the stores with Carsons' name on it. If they stay in Hammond we may never know what effect, if any, all this had on their decision. Don't let the politicos take credit where none is due.

Serbs refuse to help the Croats

"Trouble continues today as the Serbs have refused to provide services to the Croat community saying that the law doesn't force them to so they won't.
This is just the latest round in the ethnic troubles that have plagued the area for decades."

Sound familiar? If you read the Times ( www.nwi.com )it should; this is what the county health department is saying to the citizens of Hammond.
I guess step 1a of moving Hammond forward would be to convince the elected officials, at all levels, that working together is a good thing regardless of who gets the credit. This is a tough time for all the units of government, so do they work together? NO. Instead they seem to be trying to make us believe that the problems all lay with the other units of government, not their particular fiefdom.
We need to contact our elected officials, every last one of them, on a regular basis and demand that they work together, not just stand at their pulpit pointing fingers everywhere else.
And enough of the "busywork" grandstanding that really does nothing to help our economic situation. What am I talking about? See Matt's post about Carsons at http://msaliga.blogspot.com/
What we need is to know and see what is happening with the Gibson Yard intermodal project. This is the type of project that needs to be sold publicly, and to the industries that will use it, before it's built. Every week we hear about the project in LaPorte and other proposed projects, but nothing about Hammond. Are we losing out because of the desire for secrecy and the worry over who will get credit?
I certainly hope (probably in vain) that politics won't win out over good policies

Moving forward, step one

The first thing that needs to happen before Hammond can move forward is our leaders must be willing to accept good ideas, regardless of origination. Until that begins to happen we will continue to be trapped in an economic, political, and social quagmire.
Economically we should be actively and agressively working to take advantage of our geographic location and the transportation infrastructure that we have. We are, quite literally, at the crossroads of America.
I believe that aggressive marketing of the Gibson Yards as a site for an intermodal rail yard would be a great step forward. If that could be developed it would bring many spin off industries with it; warehousing, distribution, trucking, etc.
The Homan Avenue corridor would be ideal for medical professionals. This would take advantage of the proximity to Illinois, without the onerous restrictions of being in Illinois.
And what about our lakefront? Believe it or not Hammonds' lakefront consists mainly of two beaches and a marina. The Port Authority seems to be doing a good job with the marina, but what about the beach and park? Surely these can be groomed much better than they are, drawing more people, allowing for some small businesses to spring up there.
These are some of my ideas, what are yours?
more later......

How do we move forward?

How can we move Hammond forward? Our history is one of a blue collar town where everyone works at the mill or works to support it. But those days are gone forever. Although the mills continue to be an important part of our economy, they will never again be the powerhouse they once were.
So, where does that leave us? It leaves us with an enormous opportunity to diversify our economic base. I believe that if we can put politics and personalities aside we can come up with ideas and policies that will move Hammond forward.
More tommorrow.....