Fwd: I-69 Section 5, MPO meeting Friday, April 12

[Greg Buck]

 

 

Greg Buck

ecot...@yahoo.com (gets more attention than ecoth...@gmail.com)

Campaign for Sustainable Economics
www.sustainableeconomics.org 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Campaign-for-Sustainable-Economics/5841322279?ref=hl

 
Individuals & Organizations:

Please endorse "Position on Economic Growth"

http://steadystate.org/act/sign-the-position/read-the-position-statement/

Clearinghouse for Actions Against Interstate 69 in Indiana
http://groups.google.com/group/clearinghouse-for-actions-against-i-69-in-indiana

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Thomas & Sandra Tokarski <ca...@bluemarble.net>
Date: Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Subject: I-69 Section 5, MPO meeting Friday, April 12
To: Susan Sammis <sam...@bluemarble.net>

PLEASE FORWARD AND POST WIDELY.  THANKS!

PLEASE ATTEND THIS  MEETING! 

Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) 

Friday, April12th, 2013 1:30pm 

City of Bloomington Showers Complex, Council Chambers

401 N. Morton St. Bloomington, IN 47404

Bloomington-Monroe County MPO will consider adding I-69 Section 5 to to the Transportation Improvement Plan

Here are some points you can make in comments to the MPO:

INDOT CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO ACT IN GOOD FAITH--PERIOD!

**Officials cannot see ALL the damage of I-69 to our communities by flying over in a helicopter.  MPO Members can contact CARR for a tour on the ground of the damage to our communities and our environment.

**Building I-69 creates significant costs for the City and County: decreased tax revenues, increased costs for public safety departments (police and fire). New personnel and equipment will be needed to respond to increases in traffic and to be prepared for a major toxic waste spill. I-69 will be a hazardous cargo route.There will be increased costs for maintaining frontage and connector roads. Increased traffic will lead to unsafe highways and more air pollution which may lead to limits on development.

**Once I-69 is in the TIP, local officials will have little to say in how the highway is actually built. INDOT does not understand the concept of cooperation. INDOT has made it clear that they are not bound by local ordinances. We have learned over many years that INDOT and FHWA simply cannot be trusted to tell the truth about I-69. 

**Building I-69 has resulted in severe environmental damage and safety problems for county residents. 

**There will be massive karst impacts resulting in altered drainage, water well changes, damage to homes from heavy blasting, many wildlife impacts. Increased erosion of steep slopes into sinkholes and caves will cause major problems. Environmentally, I-69 would be an unprecedented disaster for Monroe and Greene Counties. 

** I-69 would  be built using regular gas tax dollars. Projects around the state are being cut in an effort to scrape up money to build Section 4. Section 5 and 6, from Bloomington to Indy, are not funded. There is no special funding to build Sections 5 and 6. 

**There is overwhelming opposition to this project within this MPO region. The MPO should be accountable to, and serve, the citizens within its jurisdiction. It was not set up to be a pawn of the state. Previously, INDOT attempted to extort this MPO by removing funding for other projects to force it to include a portion of I-69 into its TIP. Extortion has no place in the democratic process.Governor Daniels stated: "They're going to get it whether they like it or not." What happened to our democracy? Local control?

**Monroe County is doing better economically than much of Indiana. I-69 will do nothing to advance the economy of Bloomington, Monroe County or the rest of the state. The state is not able to maintain the roads and bridges it has now. I-69 is being built cheaply to save money. This will lead to greater costs and unsafe conditions in the future. I-69 in Section 2 already has serious structural problems, only months after it was opened.

For more information call:  812-825-9555  or email ca...@bluemarble.net

Your dedicated work and support for so many years is deeply appreciated. 

With your help we will continue our efforts to protect our communities.

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Thomas & Sandra Tokarski

CARR

PO Box 54

Stanford, IN 47463

ca...@bluemarble.net

812-825-9555

800-515-6936

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