Editor, Times-Union: So, the YMCA wants to move onto some new ground, hopefully a place with better access than the last tract they were being gifted, or so the rumor goes. At least this site won’t have a driveway wrapping around a church after going through a medical park, because former city officials did not have the foresight to reserve a right of way strip/access road along U.S. 30 although being identified as a growth area on the city’s master plan since the 1960’s.
I trust that the City of Warsaw, in developing the fiscal plan for the annexation of the ground to the north of North Pointe Business Park, and directly behind the Canterbury Apartments, and will factor in the cost of the purchase of additional right of way to rebuild Husky Trail to handle more traffic, even adding a third “turn” lane. And that they factor in the cost of desperately needed sidewalks for the already present pedestrian traffic, along with bike trails.
This area north of the Parker Street/DuBois Street/U.S. 30 intersection has really grown in the 25 years that I have been back in Warsaw. I haven’t researched the actual numbers, but I dare say that this has been by far the most active growth area within the city limits this last generation.
With the big box stores settling up along the highway, Martin’s and Menards, throw in North Pointe theaters, many other smaller businesses, add Harrison Elementarty School, and there is an incredible amount of traffic and usage in this area. We’ve seen more than 700 apartments built in this area, three new subdivisions, plus the arterial traffic going further North & East to the Country Subdivision, Green Acres, Suburban Acres and points north. This is a highly trafficked area. The road is narrow and no shoulder. With the school and low-income housing up here, there are an abundance of pedestrians. They need to be protected by giving them a walkway.
It was suggested 20 years ago to the then mayor and city council to start planning an overpass over U.S. 30, but the response was, “that is going to cost a million dollars, the taxpayers won’t support it.” Ten years ago, the subject came up and it was going to cost more than $3 million. With the discussion before the start of the Parker Street project (which is a great improvement), it was stated “we won’t even think about an overpass, as it would cost more than $8 million.”
It’s the same old story, the longer we procrastinate, the more expensive and harder it will get.
I’ll stay off the Western Route subject, it’s only been around 63 years and they’ve only given us a roundabout.
Mayor-elect Thallemer, and city council electees, you need to be polling your constituents to see what they feel is needed here. Don’t limit it to registered voters; everybody pays property taxes, but not everybody votes. Property taxes are where the money is going to come from. We didn’t charge the developers of North Pointe Business Park any impact fees. We certainly didn’t charge Warsaw Community Schools. We didn’t make Canterbury pay, even though it is a for-profit business that takes profits away from our community.
And because it’s a public supported entity, we certainly aren’t going to charge the YMCA impact fees, even though the traffic to the YMCA will impact Husky Trail greatly. I’m sure tax abatements are in the works, so you can’t even create a TIF district in this matter.
We can’t keep cutting corners on public safety. If we’re going to keep moving the public to the far reaches of the city, we have to provide the infrastructure for them. That includes roads. The city needs to start following it’s own zoning ordinance.
