The Mayor committed our city to the Resilient Cohort Plan which is coordinated by NWIRPC. In its first year, 2022, it inventoried the greenhouse gases of Hammond. The second year, this year, they will develop a Climate Action Plan. The destruction of hundreds of mature trees that mitigates massive amounts CO2, will be going in the exact opposite direction of that plan. It also goes in complete contrast to the mitigation of excess storm water that we are mandated to reduce by various agencies because we are polluting the lakes and rivers around us. An underpass solves both issues.
One thing about Friday’s Times article. The one-mile trek over the bridge and through the woods is only half the trip for school children. They must then walk from 173rd & Parrish where the bridge empties out, back towards their homes near Grand Avenue. Would you send your children over a bridge? Most of these children’s families are renters who were excluded from the city survey and many do not have rides to school. They have no voice and under this project, no solution either.
At Mayor’s Night Out last week, Dean Button said the bridge will only take up a “sliver” of the dune woodlands. But even a destroying a “sliver” will do irreputable damage. The Mayor knows this. When told by me at Mayor’s Night Out in 2021, “if you build that road though the dunes it will destroy them”. His reply with a grin was, “I know”. You see, he knows, if that road is built, there will be nothing else left to save. Then, it will be no problem to develop the rest, which has always been their goal. Back in 2018 he was told these were tall dunes (shoreline dunes, not like Gibson Woods), his response was, “we plan to develop the area”. That statement became clearer when the INDOTs grant application was revealed.
Earlier, Dean Button said they never looked at or even considered an underpass and I totally believe him on that. Now he says we cannot fit what he calls a “sliver” on Grand Avenue as an Underpass. That is rubbish.
In the past there were huge mistakes in our town that destroyed this treasured ancient geological feature out of greed and ignorance. You can no longer use ignorance as an excuse.
It is time for the Council to repeal the ordinance that puts 4 million dollars down the tracks and out of reach of our most vulnerable members of our community and put the money towards an underpass, that will honor our commitment to the Resilient Cohort Plan and will service the needs the whole community.eemunity.ee you there. Bring your friends.