By MARGARET L. WILLIS

The Burns Harbor town council heard a presentation Wednesday by Vince Galbiati, president of the Northwest Indiana Forum, promoting the extension of South Shore commuter rail lines into Munster, Valparaiso and Lowell.

The Forum is making the rounds of local government units touting the future benefits of a new rail line for commuters which will cost an estimated $500 million in federal money and an additional $500 million in local funds.

Galbiati said the extension is important to provide region residents with access to the higher paying job market of Chicago and that it is better for the environment than additional highways.

Council member Bernie Poparad asked why, if the Illiana Toll Road was criticized for promoting sprawl, would the rail line extension be perceived any differently. “It seems like taking people down to Lowell [a rural area] is promoting sprawl, it’s the same deal.”

Council member Mike Perrine disagreed, at least in theory. “It’s taking a gamble,” he said. “You run the extension and hope that the population increase includes well educated, high-earning residents; and hope a big employer will move here. It’s a gamble as an area we need to take,” he added.

Gambiati said the growth is inevitable, since the west and south sides of Chicago have nearly “reached their limits.”

Council president McGee questioned why Lake and Porter counties should bear the brunt of raising the local share of money to meet federal matching fund grants.

Perrine’s take on the tax issue was that the effort is “more driven by Lake and Porter County,” and the funding will naturally be sought here.

Marquette Plan

Another regional issue, which may bring change a bit closer to home, is Phase Two of the Marquette Plan.

Matt Reardon, Economic Community Development Director of Shore Elliott Hendrickson, Inc, is also visiting many local units of government, to gather their input for development of Phase Two of the plan.

“We want to know what your community needs, what you’d like to see,” he told the council.

The Marquette Plan is an overarching plan to re-configure and re-invigorate the Lake Michigan shoreline. “The three top goals are to manage visitors, preservation of the shoreline and ask the question where should economic development go,” Reardon said.

One set of public input sessions have already been held and additional meetings are scheduled for Nov. 27 and 28 to seek the public’s ideas and priorities.

“In each jurisdiction, there are different priorities and needs,” Reardon said.

Council president Jim McGee asked if other communities have brought up the need for bike/walking trails. “Our locals use the roads and the trails go around us, but not through us,” he said.

Perrine proposed a link to the Prairie Duneland Trail along Rt. 149 and another heading east to meet with the trail planned in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Reardon said “absolutely“ connectivity of existing trails with new trails is a positive point of discussion.

He said he’s had a great deal of input so far that residents oppose development directly on the lakeshore.

“So we need to look and see where, logically, the economic development should go.”

Resident Cliff Fleming added that the rural design of Rt. 20 should be considered for re-design into an urban design with more limited access, an idea Reardon also agreed with.

Additional information may be found and input on the plan may be left at the NIRPC website, on the Marquette Two page. “We have a page dedicated to the process,” Reardon noted.

Go to nirpc.org for more information.

Posted 10/11/2007