08-13-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING Auizust 13, 2018 Shore to share what is the South Shore perspective, and then the airport, which obviously is a big stakeholder here, as well. Mike Noland, President of the South Shore Line, approached the podium to address the Council and public. Mr. Noland stated that ultimately the South Shore prefers a downtown station option in addition to an option on the west side of the South Bend International Airport.Mr.Noland stated that the goal for the length of the commute was ninety (90) minutes which, like the Mayor, he viewed as a magic timeframe. He explained that the commute from Michigan City is currently at approximately ninety-five (95) minutes and that some four-hundred (400) people a day commute to Chicago and back for a forty percent (40%) premium to their income in comparison to what they would earn locally. Mr.Noland stated that the South Shore has been pleased to have received as much community input as they have had and declared that the South Shore is happy to be a partner with the City of South Bend. Mike Daigle, Executive Director of the South Bend International Airport, 4477 Progress Drive, South Bend, IN, approached the podium to address the Council and public. Mr. Daigle stated that if the South Shore service can be moved to the west side of the airport, the tracks can do double- duty by allowing for the transport of people and as well as, internationally, cargo. Mr. Daigle stated, The airport is now working with the County to develop what we call a "comprehensive international cargo development plan." This plan, if it comes to fruition, can provide many new jobs for our region, and the economic development could be massive for us also. As initial evaluation shows...the possible economic impact to the City and our region is in excess of $400,000,000 a year. Mr. Daigle stated that this was a preliminary figure and that the matter needs to be studied further and that the plan needs to be continued and economically assessed. Mayor Buttigieg returned to the podium to thank the South Shore and the airport and to emphasize that the County's partnership has been indispensable throughout this process. Councilmember Tim Scott opened the floor for questioning by members of the Common Council, limiting the number of questions per Councilmember to two (2). Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston asked, What kinds of plans do you have in terms of engagement with community members? What are your thoughts on opportunities to have that soon? Mayor Buttigieg responded that Common Council meetings are a great forum for community input. He stated, The other thing that begins to happen as we move from an economic question- and-answer project—like what the bulk of the AECOM was—and more of a direct engineering and design outlook, is that you begin to approach the environmental process, which has a lot of preset features that require a certain level of opportunity for public comment and public input.That would also be, naturally, a part of the process required'of us if we received federal funds which, again, it is clear to me how we can do this without those. Councilmember Williams-Preston stated that she appreciated that the Administration has emphasized equity as an important consideration of this process, stating that one of the recommendations of a recently conducted racial wealth gap study was to filter every single economic development decision through the lens of equity. Councilmember Sharon McBride deferred questioning to the next Councilmember. Councilmember Jo M. Broden yielded her allotted questions to Councilmember Oliver Davis. Councilmember Jake Teshka yielded his allotted questions to Councilmember Oliver Davis. Councilmember Tim Scott stated that he would like to see the study for the international cargo plan referenced by Mr. Daigle that mentioned a$400,000,000 economic impact. Councilmember Scott stated that he has seen St. Louis do similar things, stating that he did not feel that it has worked well for them but also that he would like to understand the matter further. Councilmember Scott yielded his allotted questions to Councilmember Oliver Davis. Councilmember Oliver Davis asked Mike Daigle what sort of effort he had put toward making contact with the Council for their input. 3