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Regional Infrastructure Study Includes Speedway and Clermont
A report card giving America's infrastructure system a "D" rating prompted the Greater Indianapolis of Chamber of Commerce to conduct its own regional infrastructure study that began in November. Report card ratings are a negative connotation that people don't like to hear, so the chamber is conducting a study with the help of a regional task force. The task force is comprised of members from the surrounding nine county area, Sandhya Markand of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce said.The study will examine air quality, water, trails, transit, aviation, bridges and roads, drinking water, brownfields, and redevelopment and farm preservation, solid waste and wastewater. The chamber sought participants from local government, businesses and other chambers to form a task force to study these issues. The 55 participants include Speedway Town Manager John McCurtain and Clermont Council Member Walter Miller. The first meetings were in November.
McCurtain is serving on the Brownfields-Redevelopment-Farm Preservation subcommittee. This subcommittee parallels the brownfields and redevelopment issues that are occurring in town. The town awarded a $230,000 EPA grant to BCA, Sustainable Solutions, American Environmental Consulting to assess the brownfields in the redevelopment area bounded by 16th Street, Polco Street, Tenth Street and Main Street. McCurtain said the town would also benefit from the task force study of trails and parks, and transit. The sharing of information could be beneficial to the town's transportation study and will also help determine if the trails share the same right-of-way as the proposed transportation system. He noted that in some areas, like the transportation study, Speedway is ahead of other communities. McCurtain shared a future vision of Speedway that would locate a government center at the present site of the street department facility. The location is prime because it would be adjacent to the parks, and B & O Trail, and rapid transit system. This would be just one stop away from the redeveloped Main Street.
He also noted the study has revealed that the availability of water resources will drive growth in this region. "We still have some work to do in that area."
Miller selected the trails and parks subcommittee. He noted that he has an interest in trail systems. One of Miller's issues when running for town council in 2006 was to develop a "people's trail" from Lincoln Wood to the Town of Clermont. He said the idea came from the Lincoln Wood Neighborhood Association meeting because Tansel Road lacked a safe pedestrian path into town. Miller also has an interest in the Indy Greenway Park System, especially the B & O Trail located south of Clermont. He noted that he does not see much progress in the trail development as he drives across the abandoned corridor that intersects Raceway Road.
He said the subcommittees are comprised of a "mix of people" that include town managers, elected officials, and government technicians. Miller said he expected to learn some valuable information from all the individuals participating in the task force.
Markand doesn't expect the study to be completed for a year to eighteen months.
The most important part of the study is encouraging dialogue among the different participants. It will open the door to better communication and coordination of cross county projects. Road projects may no longer end at county lines. The two highway departments could coordinate projects that mean no longer will one road always be under construction. Often road projects are not coordinated which means it might be years later before the other county addresses the road repair.
Markand explained the chamber is not doing a report card, but more of a survey based on the resources of American Society of Civil Engineers and I. U. SPEA (School of Public Environmental Affairs). "We are not reinventing the wheel."
The study also involves partnering with SPEA to help with the on-line member survey. SPEA was conducting a 44 county survey and was able to isolate the local infrastructure questions to develop the on line survey.
It is important to know the public's perception of this regional infrastructure system. This perception will be compared to the actual facts.
After the study is completed, it will not set idling on a shelf. The report will serve as a tool to be used among the nine county government officials and other chambers to lobby for state dollars to improve the infrastructure.
"By advocating for a better infrastructure system, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is ensuring that our region stays competitive nationally, even internationally," Roland M. Dorson, Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce President, said.