NICTD delays decision on closing Miller station
Chesterton Tribune
By PAULENE POPARAD
South
Shore officials today deferred a decision until Sept. 26 on whether to close
the Miller commuter stop, and several railroad board members said the closing
would not be in the best interest of passengers.
More
than 50 persons, many commuters who board at Miller in Lake County, packed the
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District meeting room in anticipation
of a decision.
May
30, Gateway Partners LLC of Merrillville asked NICTD, the four-county public
agency that owns and operates the South Shore, to close both the Miller and
Gary stops so a new $120-million combined gateway Gary station including
parking garages and retail development could be built to spark an economic
rebirth of downtown Gary.
But
yesterday, NICTD received a letter from Vance Kenney representing Gateway
Partners asking that a vote on the Miller closure be deferred until the next
meeting.
Kenney
said it will require a combination of private equity, grants and bonds to
fulfill the entire scope of this undertaking and following several inquiries
for more information regarding market analysis, economic impact studies and
financial models, Gateway Partners needs more time to provide them.
NICTD
conducted a public hearing earlier this month on the possible Miller closure
and Gary station relocation; many Miller passengers opposed the idea. About 500
commuters board there daily.
This
morning Porter County Commissioner John Evans, a NICTD board member, said,
“Miller needs to stay open. I’d love to see Gary prosper but not at the expense
of somebody else.”
Board
member Rick Vulpitta, a governor’s appointment representing South Shore
passengers, said Miller should stay open because the Miller area of Gary is
coming back. “Our role as a board is to look out for the South Shore and the
passengers. This would not be good for the passengers. We need to keep that
station open.”
Board
member Dennis Burke, a South Shore conductor, said it would cost Miller passengers
more for a new parking fee and in travel time and fuel to change stops.
Member
Barbara Houston, a LaPorte County Commissioner, said Miller’s stop should not
close. NICTD chairman Mark Yagelski, a LaPorte County Councilman, said the
proposed development is good for Gary and he hoped a compromise can be worked
out for Miller.
Yagelski
said the public comment period on the station changes ended July 18.
According
to Lake County Commissioner Fran DuPey, “When this is all said and done NICTD
will do the right thing and we’ll try to satisfy as many people as we can.”
According
to developers, the new Adam Benjamin Gateway Station would begin construction
late fall and is slated for completion in 2011. The development would be nine
acres including the 60,000 square-foot, handicapped-accessible train station
and 2,000 parking spaces. Miller passengers would be served by expanded bus
service to the new Gary station.
Posted
7/25/2008
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