Amy Lavalley and Carrie Napoleon, Post-Tribune
A plan to bring a freight line across parts of Lake and Porter counties is being officially panned by some government bodies.
The Hebron Town Council and the Lake County Board of Commissioners have joined Porter County commissioners in passing a resolution against Great Lakes Basin Transportation's proposal for a freight train line that would cut through southern Lake and Porter counties.
Hebron's resolution, passed Tuesday, notes "the significant environmental impacts" of the rail line on the county and the town, and adds the council sees "no positive economic impact … and foresees significant permanent negative impacts."
Lake County commissioners ratified their resolution 2-1 on Wednesday.
"We're sending that right through with all my other reasons why (we are opposed)," said Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Crown Point. The commissioner has written a letter outlining the reasons why the county board is opposed to the planned rail line.
The letter and the resolution will be submitted to the Surface Transportation Board during the comment period on the project, he said. The federal board held public meetings about the rail line last week in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties,
"I'm disappointed and saddened they're not interested in hearing the other point of view," Frank Patton, founder and managing partner of GLBT, said about the growing number of municipalities that have passed resolutions against GLBT's freight line.
GLBT proposes a 278-mile freight train track, starting near Milton, Wis., and with two end points in LaPorte County, with the goal of alleviating rail congestion in Chicago. The $8 billion, privately funded track would have the capacity for 110 trains a day and its path would run through southern Lake and Porter counties.
Patton has said the route is being laid out to avoid densely populated areas, will be an economic boon for the region, and those impacted by the project will be fairly compensated.
"This will be the largest U.S. rail project in the last 125 years and a big chunk of that money is going to be spent in Northwest Indiana, a very large portion of it," Patton has said about the privately funded project.
He has called opposition to the project "a knee-jerk reaction," particularly from groups that fought the Illiana toll road.
The proposed rail line would run north of Hebron, close to the town's water plant and wells, said council members, who added the rail line has no economic benefit for their community.
A derailment that spills the contents of a freight train could contaminate the town's water, said Town Council member Kimberly Mouratides.
"We would have to move our water plant, and we can't afford to do that," she said, adding the rail line also would jeopardize the town's plans to solve drainage problems, as well as intersecting with Indiana 2 and Indiana 231, which, even with overpasses, would cause hassles for the many town residents who commute to work.
The rail line also would make Hebron a less attractive place to live, said town council member Keith Cunningham, making it difficult for people to buy or sell homes.
It also won't benefit the community, he added.
"We don't see any value having the railroad just north of town. I don't think there's going to be any economic stimulus to Hebron. I think it's going to be detrimental," he said.
Scheub said he is hopeful the 400-plus people at the scoping meeting at the Lowell VFW Post 6841 last week also will submit comments to the STB during the comment period.
Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, D-Hammond, did not sign the resolution because he said he does not yet have a position on the project.
"I don't know enough at this point to say if I'm for or against it. Personally, I thought the wording of the resolution was a little bit strong for my taste," he said.
His failure to sign the resolution has little impact.
First, he said, the resolution does not have binding authority. Secondly, if it did have binding authority, two votes are enough for the measure to pass.
"Not having a complete enough knowledge on the whole topic, I wasn't ready to weigh in on it one way or the other … I do hope to learn more about it," he said.
Porter County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution against the rail line earlier this month and the Porter County Council is expected to do the same at its meeting Tuesday.
"As a county, there is no lasting or meaningful gain for Porter County out of these trains," said County Council President Dan Whitten, D-at large. "In fact, when you factor in the devastation to the farms, the effects the large increased train traffic would have on EMS and police, and the clear issues it would cause to an already problematic drainage system, the overall effects would be disastrous."
Hebron Town Council members said their resolution would make residents more aware of the issue and hopefully have an impact as the proposal moves forward.
"Is it going to stop the railroad? I don't know, but a lot of people are going to be affected in the town of Hebron," Cunningham said.