BY BILL DOLAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
bdolan@nwitimes.com
Community leaders of Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs have big ideas for how to stimulate the region's economy in these trying economic times.
Many want to build the Illiana Expressway, extend the South Shore commuter rail line in several directions and undertake multi-million-dollar flood control projects.
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But many of the biggest ideas likely will never jump through the first hoop of the White House's $900 billion American Recover and Reinvestment Plan.
John Swanson, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission executive director, whose staff is gathering and prioritizing the public works proposals, said half the money must be obligated within six months of the legislation's passage. That means that projects like the proposed Illiana and South Shore extensions, which are not shovel ready, won't benefit from the expected round of funding.
"There will be a big push for the dollars to get out there on the streets so people can be hired, which means longer-term projects will be challenged because federal requirements are not being waived for the need for full engineering, right of way acquisition and environmental impact studies," Swanson said. "It would take years on the Illiana to work through the process."
That means the more humble species of public works projects -- including street widening, sewer modernization or plumbing -- may be the winners in the battle for funding.
Nevertheless, Northwest Indiana Forum President and CEO Vince Galbiati said the stimulus should provide more than just pothole patching.
"The Forum's focus is on the development of infrastructure to a 21st century standard. That means the Gary/Chicago International Airport, extension of the commuter rail lines, shoreline redevelopment, which provides a quality of life, and the Illiana Expressway, which isn't very popular, but it bears a lot of attention to stop bottlenecking throughout the Chicago metropolitan area," Galbiati said.
Chesterton Town Council President Emerson Delaney wants to resurface several local streets. Winfield Clerk-Treasurer Rick Anderson hopes to equip a new town park.
And Lake Station School Corp. Superintendent Dan DeHaven would settle for a few reroofing projects and updated school furniture.
The White House reported last week Indiana's share of the money will likely amount to $5 billion.
That would create an estimated 79,300 jobs, generate tax cuts of up to $1,000 for 2.4 million Indiana families, boost unemployment benefits by $100 a month to 456,000 unemployed Hoosiers and modernize 176 schools across the state.
Swanson said much of the money will fund a diverse selection of infrastructure projects.
"A lot of attention is being given to the roads, but there will also be bridge funds, bike/walking trail funding, public transit funding and congestion mitigation and air quality projects," Swanson said.
Cam Savage, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Education, said school modernization money would be directed to schools already receiving federal funding to assist students from low-income families.
Gary's school district, which has the highest concentration of poverty in the state, plans to radically reconfigure its school buildings to accommodate a smaller student body in fewer buildings.