Setting Some Facts Straight

This blog post is in response to Otis J. Russell's editorial letter published the other day. http://gcdailyworld.com/story/1399627.ht...

I've never considered myself a "politically appointed friend," but since I serve on the I-69 Planning Grant Committee, I thought I should respond.

I actually like and agree with Mr. Russell's thoughts on non-enforcement of what's "on the books" right now. It needs to be. That would take care of a lot of issues. The money referenced, however, is a completely different topic. There's a lot happening planning-wise in Greene County, so let me set some of the facts straight.

In short, Mr. Russell got a few facts straight, but not many. He's confusing several topics, groups, grant money, and people into a completely different end story, filled with conspiracy theory and waste.

For one, I don't pretend to speak for Ms. Bethell's economic development office, but I'd venture a guess that the $120,000 he's referring to was mostly spent on salaries and operating expenses for this non-profit corporation. You do have to pay people, buy computers and office supplies, pay the telephone bill, and buy a few lunches here-and-there, among many other expenses, but I'll leave the details to those who know the actual details. I don't think it's accurate to say $120,000 was squandered, but rather used to pay people, who fulfill a role and in turn spend money in this community just like you and I, as well as pay for various services, equipment, and supplies that her office requires.

Two, the $150,000 received from the INDOT grant (The I-69 Planning Grant) would have been money never seen by this area if it wasn't applied for. Beyond that, three local governments -- Greene County, the City of Linton, and the Town of Bloomfield -- decided to cooperate and work together. For that cooperation, this area received $30,000 more -- or a $10,000 "bonus" per local government unit -- than it would have received if we had all applied separately.
This money is being spent on four areas of planning: (1.) corridor planning, (2.) planning for tourism, (3.) a comprehensive plan for Bloomfield, and (4.) a comprehensive plan for Greene County. To expand on that:

(1.) The corridor plan is a non-negotiable piece of this grant. If INDOT is going to give us money as part of the I-69 planning process, they want to know how it will affect our local roadways, especially if we want more than just one exit to Crane. There's no disputing a new, major interstate highway is going to affect traffic flow. If you disagree, there some guys with white coats here to see you and escort you to a nice, comfy, padded room.

I'll add here that the interstate is a "done deal," so I'm not sure why people continue to fight it, write letters to the editor, and gripe every chance they get. Rather, at this point, we should be planning on how best to embrace it, maintain our rural lifestyle with it, and plan for the inevitable growth just off the exit(s) -- and there will be something pop up at that exit, whether "we" plan for it or not. The question is -- what do you want popping up at the exit to welcome visitors to Greene County? Or put differently, what do you want the first impression to be of our community?

So, even though this new patch of asphalt makes your blood boil for whatever reason, just go with the old adage, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." because this new "Super Highway" will connect Canada to Mexico, and no one in Greene County, Indiana is going to stop that train. Those are just the harsh facts, so don't kill the messenger here. These monies are being spent to plan for the effects of the highway, not the interstate itself. That's already been done.

(2.) Tourism. The Goosepond is the largest wetlands area in the United States. Now, having been on several family vacations visiting the largest ball of twine, a palace made of corn, and various dead guys' homes elsewhere in the United States, I'm here to tell you that the single-largest wetlands in the U.S. is a really big deal. Those who watch birds, or "birders" as they are known, are typically a very affluent group of people. Put frankly, many of these people drop a lot of money on this sport -- and wherever they happen to be at watching birds -- so why not drop it in Greene County?

In short, if the community thinks this will be a huge deal, embraces it, and wants to profit from it, it'll happen. Or, if the community decides it's nothing but a big mosquito pit, does nothing, and squanders this opportunity, a much different result will happen too. Whether you think it's going to fly or not, you'll be right. Which do you want? If we don't embrace this, though, we are the biggest fools in history.

I've always been amazed at the places I've have been and people there know where Linton, Indiana is because of its great fishing. Sometimes this has been in northern Indiana or even out of state. So, it seems we really need to capitalize more on this.

Let's not forget about all of the money that hunters can spend in this area. We can capture a lot of dollars in our community, if it's organized correctly.

But there are more attractions than that in Greene County, attractions like the Viaduct, which is one of the longest rails in the air still existing in the nation. If we don't embrace it and make something more out of it than a graffiti mess, who is?

(3 & 4.) Comprehensive plans for Bloomfield and Greene County just make sense. They are assessments of where we are now and a set of plans for the future. If we aren't planning for our future then we're just planning to fail, as the old adage does. Having been through the comprehensive planning process in Linton, I think it will be a real eye-opening experience, one that will assemble more information in one place than has ever been assembled before.

The plans are -- well -- comprehensive. So, for example, the plans will look at estimated future population growth to see if our utility systems are adequate. As another example, it will assess our needs for various recreational facilities based on population. It will look at our housing needs too. Simply, it will assemble a lot of information about the community in one report and make several recommendations of all types. If you haven't seen the plan prepared for Linton, you should go to City Hall and look through a copy.

When your community has a comprehensive plan, the community is given more points in the scoring system used for awarding government grants. So, having a comprehensive plan is a plan within itself, a plan to get more grant money into this area.

Here's the best part of all of this:

Who's paying for all of this planning? The State of Indiana through INDOT. What Mr. Russell and many folks don't understand is that this is a zero sum game. If we don't apply for it, it will be spent elsewhere in the State.

Anyone who has been around me lately knows how I've said this about other grants that our communities have failed to apply for. http://gcdailyworld.com/blogs/chriswathen/entry/17270/
If we fail to apply, it's a guaranteed "NO" and some other community gets the money. If we apply and don't get it, at least we tried. In this case, we tried and won… and even got a bonus for working together. So, it's not about "saving tax money," but about getting our fair share. We're paying in taxes to the State, whether we get any of it back or not, so let's get some of it back!
As for people on the committees now and in the future, there have been many requests sent out to different members of the various communities within our county, which is an attempt to represent not only different areas, but different groups, occupations, and opinions. Some people have accepted, while some have not.

If anyone would like to help -- or even serve -- on many of the committees forming, I'd urge you to contact the Greene County Economic Development Corporation. Their office is located on the second floor of the Mainsource Bank building in front of Wal-Mart in Linton. Their phone number is 847-4500.

Mr. Russell, if you feel so strongly about our community, are you willing to serve? That's code for you're invited to the meetings too.

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This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.