By Josh Kastrinsky, Reporter-Times
jkastrin@reportert.com
Compromise on the Indiana Commerce Connector is seen as necessary by the Greater Martinsville Chamber board members.
Some within the business community see the issue as one that should be fought, not negotiated.
The chamber board of directors' statement is intended to echo the majority of voices in the chamber, economic development subcommittee head Bob Elliott said. While most members have not reached a conclusion on the Connector issue - there's just not enough information, he said - others have taken an organized stand against the idea.
Elliott said the main concern of the chamber was not to end discussions until more facts are presented.
"Our real concern at this time was not to shut the door on this, either the pro or the con ... the whole idea is, let's just look at it, let's just see what's out there and go from there," he said.
Since publicly addressing the Connector, comments from chamber members have been minimal, he said. Most in the business community are probably not on either side of the debate and are approaching the issue like the board has, he said.
"There are two camps; there are camps that are for (it) - period. There are camps that are against (it) - period," he said. "We want to work in the middle area."
Brenda Buster, co-owner of Towne View Auto off Ind. 37 in Martinsville is an opponent of the Commerce Connector. She said that the Chamber's open-minded approach won't help solve the underlying issues.
"They have not educated themselves on what is happening," Buster said. The chamber board has met with state officials to discuss the roads, she said, but opponent groups such as Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads have not been given the same consideration.
INDOT has not provided any straight answers regarding the Connector in public meetings, she said, instead relying on key phrases to support its idea.
"They have to ask where the straight answers are coming from," she said. "Economic growth does not follow highways. Just pull out an atlas and find Indiana ... one more highway isn't making a difference in the area."
Morgan County's geography simply will not support the type of industry the road proponents say it will bring, she said. Even small industry will require thousands of acres, water and drainage resources, and will likely request tax abatements from the city, she said. Money the industry will pull in will be a long time coming, she said.
Placing the Connector south of the city will negate the economic windfall the bypass has been touted as bringing, she said. The Ind. 37 corridor gains customers from those passing through Martinsville between Bloomington and Indianapolis, she said, and the Connector concept would cut down on the passerby traffic.
"If it's a bypass to the south, it will bypass us," she said.
Locating the road south of Martinsville is an important stipulation when talks go forward, Elliott said. Based on current traffic and commerce patterns, a road through Martinsville is not in the business community's best interests, he said.
The conflict between personal interests and the best interests of the local economy was one cause of lengthy discussions on the board's position, he said, but members have worked to reach an objective conclusion.
"Quite frankly, I've been very impressed by the folks involved on the board, that there's a willingness to take a look and see; not to rush to a decision and to work with things as they come about."