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REGULAR MEETING APRIL 25,2005 <br />criteria, which for rural areas like this one, is that no interchange within three (3) to five <br />(5) miles of an existing one. There are already two within three (3) miles of this <br />proposed interchange. This proposal does not have snowball’s chance of ever getting <br />through INDOT. Ms. Havens urged the Council to think hard about this development, or <br />twenty years from now, you could be the people that the people are thinking about when <br />they go past an interchange in Indiana that goes nowhere, and they ask who were the <br />people that gave approval to this. <br />Mr. Donald Brubaker, 1706 Anderson Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, advised that there <br />are two wetlands on the proposed development site. If you alter the soil characteristics, <br />the hydrogeology and the vegetation on this site, it will not do what mother nature <br />intended them to do. Mr. Brubaker also stated that with a project of this size there is a <br />greater potential of contamination of ground water. <br />Mr. Dale Clingerman, 306 Lakeshore Drive, LaPorte, Indiana, stated that he is a <br />registered professional civil engineer, and also the acting director of engineering for the <br />City of Laporte, Indiana. Mr. Clingerman stated that the interchange will take a long <br />time to construct and cautioned the Council before making final approval on a project of <br />this magnitude to really think about the consequences. Mr. Clingerman stated that the <br />City of Laporte had a similar situation. The City of Laporte had the opportunity to have a <br />large furniture wholesaler to locate in the City on the eastside. It was built last fall and <br />now the road out front of the building is falling apart, because nobody thought about the <br />heavy trucks traveling on that road all the time. Mr. Clingerman stated that is what is <br />going to happen to Mayflower and Adams Roads. He stated that it would be wise and <br />wait for the MACOG study to be done to find out the costs and activities that need to be <br />made to make the adjacent public network viable for this development to take place. <br />Personally, he would like to see STP funds for constructing roadways, they are usually an <br />80-20 match. He would like to see the developer pay the 20%, so that the citizens of <br />South Bend, once you accept this, don’t have to pay the 20% out of tax levies. Mr. <br />Clingerman urged the Council to do the right thing and by making the developer help pay <br />for the costs of road improvement takes the burden off the taxpayers. <br />Mr. Will Taylor, 2006 Mishawka Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, stated that if the City if <br />going to do a project of this proportion, the Council should let all the people in the <br />audience be allowed to speak. Mr. Taylor would like to see the rules suspended tonight <br />to allow everyone a chance to voice their opinions. Mr.Taylor stated that this is a good <br />project however, it is being put in the wrong location. Mr. Taylor urged the Council to <br />do the right thing. <br />Mr. Ron Gadacz, 24530 Adams Road, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he lives across <br />from the Waggoner Farm Development. Mr. Gadacz read into the record a letter that <br />stated: I feel our local neighborhoods deserve to have a stronger voice in the annexation <br />process. Right now a City can annex right up to your back yard and change the zoning <br />for the area for whatever they wish. There is no effective imput into the process because <br />it is entirely controlled by City officials that you do not elect. I firmly believe that <br />residents of our communities deserve a larger role in planning the development that <br /> <br />