by Kevin Smith
The city of Logansport is expected to proceed with plans for preliminary engineering and design work for improvements to 18th Street on the city’s south side.
The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the project last week, and the City Council will consider a resolution at next month’s meeting to release up to $345,000 of county economic development income tax funds to pay for the work.
Skip Kuker, president of the Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation, presented the project at a recent city council committee meeting. He said the funds for the project would be reimbursed by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
“The money is an earmark from Congressman Donnelly’s office so it takes a while to process, but the money does come back to us,” Kuker said.
Kuker said the plans were likely to include either an overpass or an underpass for the 18th Street railroad crossing. He said the project would benefit safety in the area and assist with connecting the developing south side with the rest of the community, but he emphasized that the project is one for the future.
“We are in the very, very, very early beginnings of something,” Kuker said. “We should not expect work this year or the year after that. It’s just about getting plans on a drawing board.”
The work is also consistent with a strongly supported suggestion during discussions of the city’s new comprehensive plan that 18th Street be developed as a main corridor in and out of the city.
There is concern, though, that the project might prove to be too expensive to get the funding required.
During the meeting, Councilman Kerry Worthington expressed concern at spending money on preliminary work for a project that is unlikely ever to be fully funded.
“I don’t want to waste the money,” Worthington said. “I would rather see another community get the money than us if they have a project that will work. Its $345,000 of taxpayers’ money for a project that we are not ever going to do. It is a waste of government money, as well as our time.”
Kuker, though, argued that by going ahead with the work Logansport would demonstrate its commitment to the project, making it a more attractive candidate for state funding when those opportunities come around.
“If there is anything that the stimulus has told us, it is that you need to have projects at the ready to get funding when the next round of money comes along,” Kuker said. “We don’t know how much it is going to cost now. But I ask as well, what is the cost of not doing it?”
He added that the project could also benefit economic development in the area.
“It is a corridor off of 24 where people can drive right along Erie Avenue to downtown and Market Street,“ he said. ”It also links to the city center to the amenities out there. With Ivy Tech going in, it is likely to be a well traveled road.”
Kevin Smith can be contacted at (574) 732-5148 or via e-mail at kevin.smith@pharostribune.com
Want to go?
What: Logansport City Council meeting
When: 5 p.m. April 6
Where: Council chambers on the third floor of the City Building.
