Security Issues Drive Grande Ave Closing

(posted Nov 13)

Security is the driving force behind Allison Transmission's petition to vacate Grande Avenue between 10th and Rybolt Avenue.

Allison Transmission conducted an open house meeting on November 10th to explain the project to the property owners affected by the proposal. Public Relations Director Eric Dickerson said the "buck stops here" when it comes to taking responsibility for security. Security is no longer handled by Detroit as it was under GM ownership.

Dickerson said providing security to protect government contracts has now become a priority for the Carlyle Group and Onex, the co-owners of Allison Transmission. Plant 3 and 14 will remain separate buildings. The vacation is not about creating plant efficiencies between the plants. Employees will continue to walk across the street.

Dickerson presented the scenario of a US anti-war protester, not Al-Qa'ida, detonating an explosion on Grande Avenue to take out plant 14, which manufactures transmissions for military vehicles and Abrams tanks. He said they have consulted with FBI, Homeland Security, Speedway Police Department and IMPD about their plans. The company only received a "verbal" approval from Homeland Security. He called it a "simple" plan to guarantee security to the US government. He said it has become a critical issue in the last two years.

Dickerson explained there are government security rules and procedures to have a vendor contract. Allison Transmission wants to continue to grow its military business. It is currently the only company in the world providing transmissions for the Abrams Tank.

He said in the 1980s the plant 12 and 14 parking lots were filled by 8,000 employees. Today, the campus has about 3,300 employees.

The proposed plan requires the 10th Street entrance to be barricaded and only trucks affiliated with Allison permitted to enter from the south end of Grande Avenue. A guard shack will be built about 10 feet north of Rybolt. Speedway resident Joyce Bishop questioned how trucks will turn around if rejected by the guard.

Dickerson said detailed plans have not been worked out for the turn around. He said the Holt Road parking lot entrance would be open 30 minutes twice a day to let employees enter and leave the parking lot to help relieve traffic in the area. Plant 12's parking lot has access from Grande Avenue.

He said the vacation would add about two minutes and one mile of drive time to surrounding neighbors. He told the group it would be an inconvenience for them.

Tom Glass, president of 500 View Neighborhood Association, asked if Allison would be willing to support road improvements at Cossell, Michigan and Vermont, and at Cossell and 10th Street. The Cossell Road and 10th Street intersection received a "D" rating by HNTB in the Transportation Corridor Study.

Dickerson explained the company would not be getting out the "check book" to assist with road improvements. However, the company would be willing to give up some land if the rerouted Holt Road required their property. He said the Speedway Gas Station at 10th and Grande Avenue will be gone according to the SRC's Redevelopment plans. Bishop noted that Speedway tax dollars would probably be used to remove the station, which is located in Indianapolis.

Dickerson recognized the fact that residents would not agree with the vacation process. He encouraged them to attend the public hearing conducted by the plat committee to express their concerns. Dickerson said the company believes in the public hearing process and "will not shove this down anybody's throat."

The case is expected to be heard on December 10 or January 14th The affected property owners should receive legal notice informing them of the exact date. Dickerson said if the company was denied the vacation issue, they still plan to move forward.

Nancy Back of Lyndhurst Lawnmower asked if that meant Allison would be leaving town if the permit is denied. Dickerson said the company is not leaving. He said the company will stay and continue to be good corporate neighbors.

Merri Anderson, president of the Greater Garden City Civic Neighborhood Association, was aggravated that she heard about the Nov 10th meeting through the grapevine and did not receive a letter like other attendees. She said the neighborhood association has been trying to establish contact with the company for 30 years. She emphasized the neighborhood association must be notified for the plat committee public hearing.

Anderson was concerned that Indianapolis would lose plant 14 to Speedway once the vacation happened because the entire road will fall into Speedway's jurisdiction. Allison Transmission will buy the vacated road from the Town of Speedway, as explained by Scott Harris, Executive Director of the Speedway Redevelopment Commission.

Back contended the vacation will only increase crime in the neighborhood because it will become isolated with less traffic. Dickerson said that crime is already occurring in the area and Allison employees have experienced vehicle and motorcycle thefts.

Several residents in the 500 and 600 blocks of Grande Avenue were concerned about property values falling with a loss of access. The neighbors also questioned why the homes to the south would remain due to their close proximity to the plant. The homes are approximately 400 feet from the plant. The north side of the plant is approximately 100 feet south of 10th Street. According to this chart produced by the National Counterterrorism Center, a passenger van filled with explosives has a 600 foot blast radius, while a semi trailer has a 1,500 foot radius.

When Dickerson said the company would not buy homes in the area to compensate for the loss of road access, Grande Ave resident Michael Thurman remarked "The poor boy takes the shaft."