By PAULENE POPARAD

The planned July 1 addition of 15 more communities to the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission family will mean the loss of some of its most familiar faces.

NIRPC Executive Board member Will Smith Jr., a member of the Lake County Council, said Thursday the recent state legislation reorganizing NIRPC and expanding its powers to include economic development should be amended to allow non-elected, proxie members.

“It’s extremely difficult as an elected official to know everything and be everywhere,” said Smith. “There’s got to be a way to let Richard and Paul continue to operate so they can function in a meaningful capacity.”

Among those attending their last NIRPC meeting were Lake County Commissioners’ appointment Richard Comer, a 16-year NIRPC member, and Paul Doherty of Highland, a 25-year member. Both were applauded for their service.

Among NIRPC members now unable to serve is Leon West of Portage, who represents the town of Porter, and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District general manager Gerald Hanas.

NIRPC executive director Jame Ranfranz said non-elected officials may be able to serve on NIRPC committees. “I can’t imagine we’d want to lose (their) knowledge,” said Ranfranz. “I don’t want them to disappear. It’s way too valuable to me to have them around.”

After the meeting Doherty, a former Town Council member known for his quick wit, said he would accept a NIRPC committee appointment; he is a long-time chairman of its Transportation Policy Committee.

NIRPC Chairman Portage Mayor Doug Olson thanked the outgoing members. “You’re some of the finest people I’ve associated with.”

Ogden Dunes representative Paul Panther suggested that the incoming NIRPC members be given two reports addressed Thursday: the recently released Quality of Life 2003 indicators for northwest Indiana, and Moving to Equity distributed Thursday by Iris Comer of the Interfaith Federation. The equity report is a joint project of the Center for Community Change and The Civil Rights Project of Harvard University.

Iris Comer told NIRPC members that transportation equity is access for all people to all places. “Transportation rights are civil rights.” A planned new interchange on Interstate 65 in south Lake County will only encourage sprawl and housing segregation motivated by racism and greed, said Comer. She encouraged more spending for public transit and funding for the Lake County Regional Transportation Authority.

Richard Comer also encouraged reading the Harvard report. “I would hope we’re moving to a point our planning is color blind and when there is a need to put an overlay over it, we have the courage to lay racial issues on the table. Look at what is best for northwest Indiana, not just your small community.”

In other business, NIRPC transportation planner Jackie Anders briefly outlined rural Porter County intersections with the highest accident rates. The study will continue for urban areas. The three highest accident sites between 1994 and 1999 were all on U.S. 6 at McCool Road, Meridian Road and Indiana 149 where 123, 106 and 103 accidents occurred, respectively.

The highest concentration of accidents occurred along one mile in unincorporated South Haven between McCool Road (County Road 400W) and Indiana 149 (County Road 300W). The stretch, under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Department of Transportation, is slated for added travel lanes in the near future.

Anders also said 40 accidents occurred in rural Porter County on Calumet Avenue north of Valparaiso at Burlington Beach Road (County Road 500N).

Unanimously adopted was a resolution outlining NIRPC’s updated policy regarding transportation-enhancement (TE) projects. TE Committee chairman Carl Fisher of Portage said applications for bikeways and pedestrian projects seeking federal funding should be submitted on an annual basis. After prioritization by NIRPC, all qualifying projects will be forwarded to the Indiana Department of Transportation project selection committee for consideration.

NIRPC environmental planner Reggie Korthals said Indiana will recommend that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classify LaPorte County as non-attainment for ozone; Lake and Porter counties are now so classified. Late this year a public comment period on the proposal will be opened. A determination must be made, said Korthals, whether LaPorte will be a stand-alone non-attainment area or part of the greater Milwaukee-to-Porter County zone.

NIRPC’s Lauren Rhein outlined new census figures for the 16-county, 9.3 million-person Chicago metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of which Lake, Porter, Jasper and Newton counties are part of the Gary division. Of 370 MSAs, Chicago’s is the third largest. Forty-nine new MSAs among the 370 include the Michigan City/LaPorte district. Also created were 565 new micropolitan areas.

The differentiation between areas is maintained and updated by the federal Office of Management and Budget every decade since 1950. The definitions are used to qualify for federal transportation funding, business development and investment, health care reimbursements, labor market comparisons, and wages and salaries, among others.

Posted 6/20/2003