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Friday, September 09, 2005

Environment - Several stories today [Updated]

"Ag park hearing delayed" is the headline to this Seth Slabaugh story today in the Muncie Star-Press. It begins:

MUNCIE - A public hearing on a petition to rezone 806 acres around the community of Shideler for an agricultural bio-enterprise park has been continued at the request of the petitioners.

The hearing before the city-county planning commission scheduled for next Tuesday has been postponed until Nov. 3.

"We remain committed to creating the first modern agricultural business park in Indiana," the petitioners said in a letter to the commission. "Unfortunately, at this time, a small group of people have circulated a significant amount of misinformation about our proposed project, leading many well-meaning, thoughtful citizens of our area to ask questions about it."

The petitioners intend to use the time between now and the November meeting to bring in outside experts and others to address citizens' concerns at a series of public informational meetings.

Updating yesterday's story about development of the former Cressmour County Club, the Munster (NW Indiana) Times reports today:
HOBART | Whatever the outcome of the proposed development at the site of the Cressmoor Country Club, city officials agree the majority of the acreage will remain green space. * * *

Council members Wednesday night preliminary questioned what action would be best for the city. Buzinec said officials would begin discussing the issue with other city departments, particularly the Park Board.

Plan Commission member and Councilman Carl Lindsay, R-2nd, said he doesn't want to see the city adopt additional responsibility it might not be ready to handle.

"I don't know if we want to get into a golf course business," Lindsay said.

A story in the Gary Post-Tribune, however, reports:

HOBART — An Illinois developer’s plan to build 102 townhouses and 384 condominiums on the city’s north side drew wide opposition from local homeowners.

More than 70 people packed a a public hearing Hobart Plan Commission held Thursday to express their opposition to the proposed Cressmoor Estates.

“I don’t want that coming here. I don’t see how this is good thing for the city,” said homeowner resident Martin Omelia after complaining that the project would increase traffic problems, burden city services and lower existing home values. * * *

Commission President Maria Galka said she was uncomfortable with the project’s density and thought it would require some major improvement on local streets to be viable.

[Update] "Indiana ranked fourth in the country in toxic mercury emissions from power plants in 2003." That quote is from a story by Martin DeAgostio in today's South Bend Tribune. A quote:
Days before a scheduled U.S. Senate vote on power plant pollution, a consumer and environmental group says Indiana ranked fourth in the country in toxic mercury emissions from power plants in 2003.

Michigan ranked 14th, according to Indiana Public Interest Research Group, which analyzed the latest available data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The story provides this link to the "Made in the U.S.A," the Indiana Public Interest Research Group report.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 9, 2005 07:24 AM
Posted to Environment