08-23-76 Council Meeting Minutes

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X23 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 23, 1976 u REGULAR MEETING - RECONVENED (CONTINUED) SECTION I. That the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners be urged to continue negotia- tions with the Indiana State Highway Commission on the Olive- Sample Streets Railroad Separation and Street Interchange Project and push for immediate construction. SECTION II. That the Common Council of the City of South Bend hereby urges both the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners and the St. Joseph County Council to seriously consider in all of their negotiations, and meetings with the Indiana State Highway Commission the develop- ment of a. comprehensive construction project which will meet the two -fold purposes of: (1) eliminating the many safety hazards presently existing at the Olive - Sample streets intersection; and (2) preserving the quality and character of the neighborhood most likely to be affected by such improvements. SECTION III. That all governmental bodies and persons involved in developing an Olive - Sample Streets Railroad Separation and Street Interchange Project be urged to proceed ahead with all deliberate speed in carrying out this Resolution. SECTION IV. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption by the Common Council and approval by the Mayor. /s/ Roger 0. Parent Member of the Council A public hearing was held at this time on the resolution. Council Member Dombrowski read the resolution in its entirety. Mr. Harry Kruk, 2428 Dunham, said he was the chairman of the recently formed citizen's committee for the Olive - Sample overpass. He asked Council Member Dombrowski if he was suggesting that there be an alternative plan, other than the one recommended. Council Member Dombrowski indicate( that he did not think more money had to be spent, and that all that was needed was to scale the plans down. He indicated this was not the first plan that money had been spent on, and we can have another plan. Mr. Kruk indicated more money would be spent and no plan would be developed. Council Member Dombrowski said there was no sense putting a bridge over tracks that are not being used. Mr. Kruk indicated that five tracks are being used. He said he has a petition with over six hundred names and they plan to get many more. He indicated about sixty percent of our South Bend industry is located west of Olive. Council Member Adams asked Mr. Rollin Farrand, City Engineer, how long the process would take if another plan were to come about. Mr. Farrand indicated four years at a minimum. Council Member Adams indicated this resolution might give the County an out, as far as this project is concerne She indicated she thought there should be a meeting between the City Council, County Council, Commissioners, City Engineer and County Engineer. Council Member Miller indicated he thought this matter should be clarified. He said this resolu- tion does not refer to construction only negotiations. He said if immediate construction is wanted, we will have to continue the plan as proposed, or perhaps amended, because otherwise we would lose the funding. He indicated that he thought Section I an Olive - Sample Streets Rail- road Separation should be changed to the Olive - Sample Streets Railroad Separation and Street Interchange Project and delete the rest of the paragraph and add and push for immediate construe is Council Member Adams said she would like something to be done on this project during this term of the Council. She made a motion to continue this until the next Council meeting so there woul be time to have a meeting with the County Council, Commissioners, City Engineer and County Engi- neer. Her motion died for lack of a second. Council Member Kopczynski indicated that a resolution was presented only two weeks ago urging the same thing, without jeopardizing the program. He said this project is not to be footballed arou politically. He asked that the Council not act on this resolution because of the jeopardy to the project. He indicated this resolution would only tend to cloud the issue. Council Member Kopczynski made a motion to strike this resolution, seconded by Council Member Szymkowiak. Council Member Adams indicated she did not want the Council to strike this resolution because it only showed more indecision. She indicated she would like reconsideration of her motion to have a meeting with the County. She indicated the motion to strike should be withdrawn. Council Member Miller indicated that he hoped the Council could get in a situation of trying to work out something. He said he really felt this was a very important issue and the Council should take a leadership position. He indicated he felt in its present form the resolution tends to put a cloud over the-project, and it definitely should be amended. He indicated the Council should defeat the motion to strike and try to amend this to bring about this plan. Council Member Horvath indicated he felt too much emphasis was being put on the resolution. He indicated it was not the homes in the area that would be demolished, it wasthe homes that would be left and become slums that was bothering the residents of the area. Council Member Taylor indicated he did not feel the resolution should be struck. A roll call vote was taken on.the motion to strike the resolution an dit failed on a vote of two ayes (Council Members Szymkowiak and Kopczynski) and seven nays (Council Members Serge, Miller, Taylor, Adams, Dombrowski, Horvath and Parent). Council Member Miller made a motion to amend Section I by changing the an to the Olive - Sample Streets Railroad Separation and Street Interchange Project, and eliminate the rest of the para- graph and add, and-.,-push for immediate construction. The motion was seconded by Council Member Taylor. Council Member Miller indicated the Council would be on record as favoring something happening immediately. He indicated that the plan as proposed can be negotiated and it was a question of going with the program because the funding is available and we could lose that fund- ing, and it would be many years before we could get that money again. The motion to amend the resolution passed.