09-27-10 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 South Bend and he could not be happier. He believes that Mr. Schlipp is a good business man and looks forward to him expanding his business in the Rum Village Neighborhood. He pointed out that Mr. Schlipp is not going to ask for tax abatement, unlike Steel Warehouse who asked for abatement earlier this evening. He asked the Council for their favorable consideration. Mr. Todd Stull, 54674 Drummer Ct., Granger, Indiana stated that he is the owner, Best Way Towing, and is in favor of this bill. He stated that the Wal-Mart on Ireland Road was built on a landfill, Fed Ex near the airport was built on a landfill, and Ignition Park was built on contaminated land and cleaned up by the City of South Bend to promote new growth and jobs in the area. He stated that he is in favor of creating new jobs, and adding to the tax base and possible create more work his business Best Way Towing. Mr. Stull urged the Council to vote favorably on this bill Mr. Steven Stockberger, 717 W. Calvert, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in favor of this bill. He stated that he has lived there over 29 years. Mr. Stockberger stated that if we do nothing out there it is just another Brownfield that the City will have to clean up. He stated that the owner is willing to commit to improving the property and even help with the widening of street. He stated that Mr. Schlipp has agreed to put up a fence and make the property much safer, especially for the Church who is located directly behind this property, they want to put up hiking trails and a fence would keep them from wondered onto Mr. Schlipps’ property. Mr. Stockberger stated that after the Council ways the pros and cons of this project they will see the pros out weigh the cons. He urged the Council for their favorable consideration. David Niezgodski, 4942 Scenic Drive, South Bend, Indiana, and also serves as State Representative District 7, in which this property is located. He stated that he heard Councilmember Henry Davis talk about stats that ranked Indiana pretty high on a scale in creating new jobs. Mr. Niezgodski advised that what those statics don’t tell is that those jobs are temporary part-time and what they should really be telling is that Indiana is th ranked 48 for residents that are living at or below the poverty line. He stated that he is also Chairman of the House Labor and Employment Committee and what he sees everyday is that this great recession has not ended and hope that there is some rebound in the future. Mr. Niezgodski stated that with 320,000 Hoosiers out of work we cannot sit back and wait for jobs to come back. He stated that we have to work and compete to get those jobs to come back to Indiana. He stated that he sees the Schlipp’s as good people who want to make their business flourish and who are offering to bring jobs to the area he strongly encouraged the Council’s favorable consideration on this bill. The following individuals spoke in opposition to this bill. Mr. John Abernathy, 59449 Keria Trail, South Bend, Indiana, stated that his property is th located 4.10 of 1 mile of the proposed site. He stated that he and his wife love South th Bend. He is a 7 generation of his to continue to live in this neighborhood. He stated rd that his wife is a 3 generation of her family and her father and his brother formed a little company called South Bend Lathe. They developed that company into a workforce of approximately 900 people at one time. He stated that he had so many unanswered questions that make voting in favor of this project impossible. He questioned the truck traffic increase and what impact that would have on the roads. A total of eighty (80) trucks coming down the small county (country) roads, Linden, Chippewa, Gertrude, Ireland Rd. Mr. Abernathy likened the truck route to a duck arcade at the county fair. Trying to get as many ducks, in other words if this truck route doesn’t work, try another one, planning this on the fly, and not really knowing what the plan is going do to the surrounding neighbors. The developers say he is going to pay for half the cost of developing the roads. He stated that there is a lot of work that is needed to be done to correctly widen the roads out there. You are going over Bowman Creek and would need to level the hilly roads out there and if you think that this can be done for $500,000 he would be very surprised. He doubt’s that the petitioner is going to write a blank check when the figures are in to widen the roads to support a project like this. Mr. Abernathy commended Mayor Luecke and the City of South Bend who have been recognized as only one of 158 communities in the United States as being a Bicycle Friendly 26