SPEED
(Speedway People Encouraging Equal Development)
- How we started
- SPEED members
- Members' stories
- Our history
- Meeting info
- Links for more info
Save Georgetown Road
Redevelop Speedway
- Contact us
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I want to stress to everyone to logon to speedwaynavigator.com daily. This paper is very informative and the editor tells it from both angles.

SPEED CHAT

UPDATES:

June 28


The SPEED Mtgs held the 1st Tuesday of the month will be on hold indefinitely.

There is very little activity occurring with the SRC except for Main Street and until things start picking up I see no reason to hold meetings.

I urge you to keep updated with developments by going to http://redevelopspeedway.blogspot.com/

You can also go to the SRC meetings held the 3rd Monday of every month or tune into the Speedway channel to watch the meetings.

Once things start going again, and we find the taxpayers are being ambushed by the SRC the meetings will resume.

For any questions feel free to contact me at jdotlich@hotmail.com

Have a safe and fun Summer!



April 1

April 6th at the VFW on W. 10th St at 6pm.

Susan Luebbert will be heading up the meeting.

Main agenda is regarding the May 4th Referendum.

Informed voters make the right decisions.

I won't be able to attend but I would like to let you know that Linda Thompson and others have been very helpful in gathering information that is not being given out by Mr. Hull. While his meetings are about why you should vote for the referendum nothing has been said about any repercussions which may occur with the passing of the referendum.

It is your responsibility to know exactly what you are voting for and not vote yes because of emotional ties to the town.

My granddaughter came home in tears because Mr Carmichael asked her why her grandma wants her to go to IPS next year. This was especially hard on her because she is very fond of Mr Carmichael and believes what he says. I had to explain to her that consolidation is NOT a guarantee if the referendum is NOT passed. I also explained that even if the referendum IS passed there is NO guarantee we still won't be consolidated. I also told her IPS was only a choice and in fact, Wayne Township would probably be the district we would merge with. My concern is for those people who are on limited funds and even $200 more on property taxes would be a burden. I also feel the burden is being put on the businesses and alot of the businesses in town are small and can't afford increased taxes - especially since they have no ties to the schools.

This is a very important referendum and the voters need to know exactly what it curtails.

The question should be phrased as below:

IC 20-46-1-10
Form; referendum question
Sec. 10. The question to be submitted to the voters in the
referendum must read as follows:

"For the __ (insert number) calendar year or years immediately
following the holding of the referendum, shall the school corporation
impose a property tax rate that does not exceed _____________ (insert
amount) cents ($0.__) (insert amount) on each one hundred dollars ($100)
of assessed valuation and that is in addition to the school
corporation's normal tuition support tax rate?".
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.169.

Please let your neighbors know about the vote - since it is their future they will be voting on. Let's keep our schools the best, but make sure this is the only choice the school board has. Remember, we don't vote this board in. They are appointed by the town council. If things don't happen the way they say, who are you going to hold accountable?


March 31

April 6th Speed Meeting will be hosted by Susan Luebbert.

Main topic will be the School Tax Referendum.

Thanks to Linda Thompson we have had contact with outside people who have given us alot of information Mr Hull has not been giving out.

Pass on the information to others who may not know exactly what this referendum may mean to the taxpayers AND to the students of Speedway!

Did you know that even if the referendum passes this is not a guarantee that the schools won't be consolidated. And IF we are consolidated AFTER the passing of the referendum we still have to pay our debt - and it won't be passed onto the district we consolidate with.

Also, I have heard the teachers have taken a salary freeze for next year. While this may be helpful the pay freeze may just be a front because teachers could receive raises through the capital project fund which would actually come from property taxes.

I personally would not be upset with paying more taxes to keep our children in a school environment I believe is one of the best in the county, BUT I don't think it wise to rush into a referendum without all avenues being explored. The only person speaking is Mr Hull and he is only giving the people what would happen if the referendum is not passed.

I hope to start exploring other school districts where referendums have passed and see what the end results have been. It comes down to the fact that I want to decide how I vote without emotional blackmail from teachers or threats from other parents. I want to vote for the right reasons.

I hope everyone will do their own research and make your decisions based on facts and not because somebody tells you it is the only way to keep our schools from consolidation.

March 23

"The voter needs to challenge the board and put the budget back on the school board's shoulders by voting no. This is the responsible action because it forces the school board to work with in its means by making the difficult fiscal decisions of budget cuts."

Why should the citizens of Speedway have to answer to a school board they were not even given the chance to vote for. This board, along with may others, are just puppets for the Town Council. And what is worse is that the town, the school board and the teachers are using our children as bait to get this referendum passed. My granddaughter has told me she likes Speedway and wants to stay in the schools. Her teacher Mr Carmichael has told his class that if this referendum doesn't pass that they will be going to IPS next year. My granddaughter likes Mr Carmichael and wants to believe what he says. While I understand Mr Carmichal wanting to keep his job, I feel he needs to give both sides of the story. I also have to be honest with my granddaughter and tell her that if taxes goes up I may not be able to pay the higher taxes and she may have to move. This is something I don't want to tell her.

1. IPS vs Wayne Township - those are the choices.

2. Even if the referendum passes, there is no guarrentee that consolidation won't occur.

3. The non-elected school board has not tried to come up with any other plans to try to help the budget.

4. The board has not made public their 2008-2009 budget or expenditures. While the public can request this information, I feel it would be in the best interest of the board to put it out there so the town can see exactly where the money has been spent.

5. I feel the businesses should be exempt from the tax hike. They do not have financial or personal gain in the schools and any employee will be paying through property tax. It won't be fair to tax them and then have them penalized again with pay cuts because their businesses cannot afford to pay them. Smaller businesses may have to close which brings down tax base.

6. Don't let Scott Harris and the SRC make you believe that they are not taking money away from the schools. Even Dr. Hull has admitted they are not getting their share. IF THE SRC WAS NEVER FORMED WHERE WOULD THE TAX MONIES BE GOING? I don't remember having budget problems before the SRC came to town. I understand that the state has not helped the schools, but I also know that schools who are losing students (Speedway has lost over 200?) is getting more money that larger districts,. Now they are able to borrow from other budgets to help fray costs.

I have been reading Facebook and all I hear are alumni who are boasting how great the school was when they went there. Nobody is giving NEW facts on why the referenendum shoud be passed. We only hear the same thing Dr Hull is saying at every meeting. He is very good at saying why the referendum should be passed, buy nobody is saying what the repercussions may be if the referendum is passed.

The only platform we have are the elderly who cannot afford higher taxes = $100-200-or $300!.

The businesses who may have to fold and leave the area because they are getting hit the hardest with this tax increase, and the renters who will find their monthly payments increased to cover the taxes. What happens if we end up losing more students because of this referendum? What happens if taxes have to be raised to pay off the debt the town has put us in. What happens if businesses leave town and takes their tax payments with them?

FYI for those who don't bother looking stats up here is something you may be interested in:

School Superintendnt Pay Enrollment

SPEEDWAY $163,200
1500

Wayne Township $195,000
15,547

IPS $262,000
34,000

Carmel $147,089
15,000

Other salaries found:

Zionsville $125.000

Noblesville $133,776

Plainfield $125,076

Brownsburgh $151,000

Avon $166.980

Danville $118,000

In the surrounding area there are ony 3 other superintendents who are paid more than Dr. Hull.

Could this be one of the problems Speedway has in keeping within its budget? While I did not get the enrollment of some of the schools, I believe by looking at the towns none are as small as Speedway.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE TO YOU YET?

(Keep being the towns puppets)

Let the boards spend-spend-spend! And see what happens in a couple of years when they keep asking for more!

The only clear solution is to VOTE NO to the referendum and to make the town become accountable for our tax money at work!

March 9

The big news in Speedway recently has been the School tax referendum that will be voted on by the people May 4, 2010.

This referendum wants the taxpayers to vote to increase property tax .59 for every $100 for the assessed value of your home. I have seen many articles out there that are stating that the increase won't be more than the average family spends at fast food a month,(Angie Smith, Letter to the Editor - Indy Star 2/27) that the average home in Speedway is $115,000 and that taxes will only increase $20.00/month (Josh Duke Indy Star 2/21)and recently that a home worth 108,700 will only have an increase of $214 yr. (Letter to the Editor by N Andrew Wagner, Retired Superintendent of Speedway Schools 3/6)

My math may not be perfect, but taking the 108,700 home my figures are as follows:

.59:100::x:108,700

100 x X = 100

.59 x 108,700 =64133

64133 divided by 100 =641.33

This means that house that is assessed at 108,700 would cost you $641.33 more a year in property tax. That is one heck of alot of fast food!

It comes to my attention that the people backing this referendum is not telling the whole truth. It has also been brought to my attention that teachers are telling students to tell their parents to vote yes to the referendum or they will be going to Northwest next year. At basketball games flyers are being handed out which acclaim saying yes will save our schools from future consolidation.

What isn't being said is that even if the referendum is passed there is no guarantee that consolidation won't happen. There also is no plan on how our elderly are suppose to come up with the extra money for higher taxes, especially in todays economy. Another problem is that the businesses in the area are going to be hit hard with this tax increase which may force them to leave the area. If this happens the tax base is affected which hurts the whole town and may cause taxes to be raised even higher in the future.

Reading the paper recently I have seen where School districts in the area are all being hit by the economy. Declining enrollments and less money from the state are the main reasons for cost cuts. The difference is that other districts are trying things first before asking for tax increases. Some tactics are as follows:

Lawrence School District:

$7.4 million cut for 2010-2011 school year

1. eliminate 25 full time teachers by not filling vacancies

2. cuts in administration

3. Instructional assistants and Early Learning Center Programs cut

4. Freeze administrators salaries

Warren Twnship School District:

$4 million cut

1. closing 2 of 11 schools

2. merging 5th graders with middle schools making it 5-8 grade

3. freeze teachers pay

It seems to me that Speedway has only given the people the worse scenarios - cutting sports and after school events, firing teachers, cutting extra curricular activities, etc.

Nothing has been said about attrition, or freezing of administrator pay.

When it is time to vote I hope everyone will take into consideration what the town has spent recently on this Redevelopment that everyone seems to have been so enthused about. The SRC has spent over $25 milliion in 5 years and still remains $14 million in debt to ban and bond notes. The town recently had 3 buildings on Main St listed as on the Spring Tax sale due to non payment of property tax. The TIF tax the SRC has been receiving includes taxes that would have gone to the schools if the SRC was not "in business". I will say it again and again,that if we did not have to pay Scott Harris, Barnes & Thornburgh, Mansur Group and American Structurepoint, our schools may not be in the monetary straits they are now in.

I have written to the Indianapolis Star Letters to the Editor regarding the vote in May.

I encourage all of you to do your part and write letters to the School board and town council stating your opposition to the referendum. I also encourage you to tell your neighbors what is really happening in their town and to vote NO to raising your taxes! Make the town accountable for their actions!

The next SPEED meeting is scheduled for Tuesday April 6. I hope to see many of you at this meeting. Spring is in the air and what is better than spending an evening with your neighbors!

In the meantime - spread the word! VOTE NO TO THE SCHOOL TAX REFERENDUM!

Feb 23

NEXT MEETING MARCH 2, 2010

MAIN TOPICS:

1. SRC continues with redevelopment.
2. May 6 Referendum and its impact on local taxes.
3. Should you still be afraid of losing your property?
4. What the future of Speedway depends on?

While things seem to have slowed down in acquisition of property for the Redevelopment, we have to remain on the alert and keep our eyes and ears open for anything connected to it.
Our information comes from almost anyplace and may mean nothing or may be the key to stopping a key venture.
Always ask questions and keep spreading the word to EVERYONE! There is unrest everywhere in the town, city and state and no elected position is safe. (at least we hope this is the case!)

Race season is coming fast and may be a silent hint as to what the future holds in that venue.

Hope to see you at the meeting.

(Meeting will be cancelled for temp below 25 degrees or snow covered roads - I want everyone to be safe!)

Dec 17

Please note that as of January 2010 SPEED meetings will be held on the 1st Tuesday of each month due to scheduling conflicts at the VFW.

The next meeting will be Tuesday 1/5/10.

There will be no meeting in Feb.

Dec 15

As I sit here and try to write my memories of 2009, I decided to dedicate this SPEED Update to the SRC and the Town Council members who helped to make the year so memorable.

Remember when:

Feb 9, 2009

Scott Harris announced at the Feb 9th meeting that "we have received engineering approval for the roundabout design.The right-of-way engineering has been completed on that set of parcels this week".

Feb 11, 2009

Kit Werbe of the DPW stated: "both the realignment and the round-a-bout have not been officially approved. The concept has been approved for both the realignment and for the roundabout, but, the final design plans have not been approved."

Feb 10, 2009

Fisher clamps down on public comments at Town Council meetings, stomping on the rights of freedom of speech.

Feb 16, 2009

A letter was given to the SRC formally requesting that the Speedway Redevelopment Commission submit another plan for the 16th St. realignment showing the alignment going North of the Marathon Pipeline.

As of 12/16/2009 there has been no comment from the SRC nor has another plan been introduced to the DPW.

March 6, 2009

Institute for Justice rallies to assist SPEED and Christine Walsh walks into our world.

Thank you Castle Coalition for your help and continued support!

March 27, 2009

Public records show that on 3/27 the SRA had a balance of $399,212.51 and the SRC had a balance of $254,442.69. (As of 12/16/09 the SRC has spent over $26 million dollars on the redevelopment, which includes interest payments on the notes and bonds.) The town's debt is mounting up. The $26 million does not include the state's loan of $6.7 million for Gerrard - Allison and Main Street, nor the $750,000 for a fire engine and police equipment.

March 31,2009

Found out that Crowe Horvath billed the SRC $100,000 to obtain the $5.7 million bond anticipation note from Key Bank.

Aug 6, 2009

American Structurepoint Project Manager Shane Burkhardt explained that ideas gathered from walk-in participants in the 2006 Charette Speed Zone were not used.
"To be quite frank, that information was not used," he told the Area Two steering Committee curing the discussion to host the Area 2 Charette. "Is it the process to allow people to casually be involved? Absolutely not. That is not the correct process and that is not the way that we can accommodate that. We can make them feel like they are participating, but there is a difference. You are making them feel like they are participating, not actually in a way that their participation would be meaningful."

(Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when Scott Harris and Mansur and all the other paid contractors praise the charettes to everyone, doesn't it?)

November 2009

Ceremony held on Main St where shovels were given out to a chosen few to make "history" by turning the soil which started the Main Street development. Only around 100 people showed up, and the majority of them were not citizens of Speedway.

And now FYI:

During 2009

Jerome Noblet was selected to be on the Housing advisory committee. He is the brother of Vince Noblet, SRC president.

Nancy Lawrence was named to the SRC. Nancy is the wife of the Speedway Park President Ray Lawrence and also one of the lucky adults who chaperoned the Motegi kids to Japan. Nancy Lawrence also supported the consensus vote to use the SRC' property as a fundraiser to park cars for the Motegi kids. The first time she abstained from voting on the proposal, but Nancy slipped the next time and even raised the request.

Eileen Fisher, wife of SRC member Ron Fisher, was named President of the Town Council. Mrs. Fisher was never challenged when elected to the council.

Are you seeing a pattern here?

And lest we forget the Recession:

Article from IBJ:

Allison Transmission is urging 19% of its 2200 hourly workers to retire early. Why? Because sales forecasts for 2009 have been experiencing further deterioration and,therefore, attrition levels cannot be expected to keep pace.

According to DMD PIO John Bartholomew, Allison has yet to record the plat change to close Grande. Once they build a cul-de-sac at the south end, they can record it and close the street. The DMD has no timeline on that. Without the vacation being recorded, there is no land set aside by Allison to dedicate for Holt Road as discussed during the vacation hearing.

Jan 27, 2009

Colts trim jobs in tough economy

Quote from article:

"It's hardly a surprise given the tough economic times that have hit other sports entities.

The league offices for Major League Baseball and the NFL have already announced job cuts, and the Colts neighbors - the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway- have done the same."

December 15,2009

The IMS trims days off the 2010 race, leaving one weekend for qualification. Reasons cited were: help race teams with saving money on hotel rooms, less employees needed, and significant savings for television production. (while this helps the IMS it is going to do great harm to the city's hospitality budget.)

While the whole country is still struggling to get past this recession the Officials of Speedway Indiana keep spending in hope that their far fetched, outlandishly expensive, and downright asinine redevelopment pans out. The sad part of this story is that this money could be used to better our school system, redo our antiquated sewer system throughout Speedway, and put the money into the streets, sidewalks and curbs.

While so much more happened in 2009 this is just a quick synopsis of what the SRC and the elected town officials have given us. Absolutely Nothing!

The good news is International Village is making improvements to the complex despite the SRC efforts to purchase the complex, and later vote to use eminent domain. Once again, the SRC proves its incompetence of being able to execute a plan. The SRC borrowed $100,000 to place in a refundable escrow and the commission also voted for a not-to-exceed $50,000 feasibility study to cover appraisals, environmental, title search and survey costs. The $50,000 was non-refundable.

And what about 2010?

Speedway residents may be looking at their first referendum vote by the schools for a cash infusion to solve their million dollar deficit spending. But be careful of the spin that Dr. Terry Reed alludes to that it is the property tax changes that occurred in 2009 that caused the problem. The school's deficit spending started in 2007 and 2008 at the time the SRC started taking TIF funds to finance its spending habit of over-promising and under delivering.

The referendum vote will be hinged on the propaganda need to have the $1 million to prevent consolidation, but the reality is it was the SRC that dug the school's future grave.

The school board is not doing a good job to tighten spending when they discuss the perils of its deficit crisis, but then vote to hire an assistant wrestling and cheer leading coach at their September 8 board meeting.

According to Superintendent Hull, "the issues with local funding are the result of state control and the universal application of property tax caps across the state rather than the use of local control. Our issues are far more the result of the state legislature than they are of local decisions regarding TIFs. TIFs do not generally decrease our levy (they do reduce our ability to increase our levy to some degree), they shift the responsibility for funding the levy increases from the TIF area to the non-TIF area. I do agree that when property at Allison came out of the TIF, the community did not gain its value in its total assessed value (this added value was captured by the SRC), and the result was that the rest of the community realized an increase in property taxes to keep the school levy whole. This was larger in 2007 and 2008, but decreased significantly in 2009 with the removal of the general fund from property taxes."

December 2009

Zipp Speed Weaponry has not denied a potential exodus from Main Street. The message was the decision is still pending. The SRC might have to adjust the sketch that illustrated Zipp in future plans. SRC plans show Zipp occupying a new site on Gilman.


I leave you with this.

As you make your New Years Resolution put in a word for the people whose lives have been in turmoil since this redevelopment began. Pray for those who have had health problems brought on by stress and sleeplessness and hopelessness because the SRC has taken it upon themselves to upheave lives and leave unanswered questions to those who may lose homes, businesses or jobs.

And make a resolution to become more involved in fighting for your freedom of speech and the rights to own property without the fear of the government stealing it from you or your neighbor. We the people of the United States of America! That includes every single person in the town of Speedway who will find that the future still holds doubt and unanswered questions. It is your duty and right to be your government's watchdog. If you don't do it - who will?

From my house to yours

I wish you the best for the holidays.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY 2010 BRING THE END TO THE UNKNOWN!

Nov 20

Speedway revs up $500 million redevelopment plan

The End of an Eminent Domain Error:
Pfizer R&D Headquarters Closes in New London, Conn.

The Battle of Brooklyn


Mayor Leads Delegation on Economic Development Mission to Europe

Group to focus on enhancement of motorsports industry


SPEED UPDATE:


The Big Dig has finally happened and Main Street Redevelopment has started. According to Mansur there are over 40 businesses interested in moving to the area. (I have yet to hear any names) and letters of intent have been received. The SRC has become the Real Estate Agency it once stated they weren't and have acquired property and now are getting appraisals for acquisitions for more. Eminent domain seems to be on the rise for Redevelopment Area 2. I just hope this doesn't end up being another Kelo vs New London. In this Supreme court case land was eminent domained for Pfizer to expand their existing lab facility. This week Pfizer up and left New London leaving bare land filled with weeds and trash that was so important to acquire. This land was once a water front neighborhood with family homes and businesses before the people were forced from their properties "for the good of the town". That was 8 yrs ago and now the land is being abandoned. According to Ron Fisher of the SRC, he would rather have a dirt pile instead of some of the abandoned buildings because it looks better. Maybe we should ask the people of New London, Connecticut what they think! And then there is the problem that there isn't a lot of tax base received from a "dirt pile". That may have an effect on your taxes in the future. According to Scott Harris of the SRC, there is little chance of another Kelo/New London in Speedway, because they do not plan to pursue acquiring property they don't have funding for. This may be good news to anyone who may be affected by the closing of Georgetown Rd, realignment of 16th Street or the Holt Rd extension. This gives the Institute for Justice more time to get our case together. Be assured that Christina Walsh and the Castle Coalition is kept updated on what is happening.

I also find it interesting that the Mayor of Indianapolis along with a hand picked delegation took a Economic development Mission to Europe to focus on the motorsports industry.

Gee, and I thought the IMS was in the town of Speedway!!!!!

There will be SPEED meetings December 2nd and January 6th, The February meeting will not be held but will resume in March.

I urge anyone who still has questions regarding the Speedway Redevelopment to get in touch with your town officials.

I also would like to see more people attending the meetings. Redevelopment is easier to stop before it happens.

Nov 19

News from the Institute for Justice
Friends:

Recently, we e-mailed you about a documentary currently in production that follows Daniel Goldstein and his fight to save his home and community in Brooklyn. The Battle of Brooklyn artfully depicts the Davids and Goliaths at the heart of this five-year-long eminent domain battle. This film will be a tremendous resource in the fight against the unholy alliance of tax-hungry governments and land-hungry developers nationwide.

The producers have posted the trailer on Kickstarter, a website that provides a method to fund creative projects. The good news is that The Battle of Brooklyn already has 100 backers who have pledged to give their support! But there is a catch. The film will only receive the pledged donations if they reach their stated goal. They are almost halfway there, but only 19 days remain.

Any size pledge will help the producers finish this film and tell Daniel’s story—a story that so many of you have lived and that is so desperate to be told. Be sure to check out the trailer on Kickstarter here.

This compelling film is going to make a huge splash, and the producers are intent on getting it into major festivals. We hope you check it out!


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 9, 2009

The End of an Eminent Domain Error:
Pfizer R&D Headquarters Closes in New London, Conn.

Land Taken in Infamous Kelo Supreme Court Case Remains Empty More Than Four Years After Ruling

Arlington, Va.—Pfizer, Inc., announced today that the company will be closing its former research and development headquarters in New London, Conn. This was a project that involved massive corporate welfare and led to the abuse of eminent domain that ultimately bulldozed the home of Susette Kelo and her neighbors in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London.

This was the same bogus development plan that five justices of the U.S. Supreme Court refused to question when the property owners of New London pleaded to have their homes spared from the wrecking ball. Justices mentioned that there was a plan in place, and that so long as lawmakers who are looking to use eminent domain for someone’s private gain had a plan, the courts would wash their hands. Now, more than four years after the redevelopment scheme passed constitutional muster—allowing government to take land from one private owner only to hand that land over to another private party who happens to have more political influence—the plant that had been the magnet for the development is closing its doors and the very land where Susette Kelo’s home once stood remains barren to all but feral cats, seagulls and weeds.


Scott Bullock, who argued the Kelo case for the Institute for Justice on behalf of the New London homeowners, said, “Today’s announcement that Pfizer is closing its research facility in New London demonstrates the folly of government plans that involve massive corporate welfare and that abuse eminent domain for private development. The majority opinion in Kelo v. New London described the Fort Trumbull project as a ‘carefully considered’ plan, but it has been an unmitigated disaster from start—and now—to finish.”

Bullock continued, “Project supporters blame the economic downturn for this turn of events. That is all the more reason why taxpayer dollars should not be put at risk in speculative and risky development schemes.”


Despite the Court’s Kelo ruling, much change for the good has occurred.


Dana Berliner, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice and co-counsel in the Kelo case, said, “In the face of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo ruling, 43 states have now reformed their laws to better protect property owners. What’s more, seven state high courts have stepped in post-Kelo to protect the rights of homeowners against eminent domain abuse. The high courts of Hawaii, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New Jersey and Rhode Island have all ruled in favor of property owners and against eminent domain for private gain. None has made Kelo the rule under their own state constitutions.”


The tragic saga of the Kelo case is detailed in Jeff Benedict’s book Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage (Grand Central Publishing; 2009). In it, Benedict shares with readers how Kelo took on the City of New London, a cast of politically powerful villains and, ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case that sparked a revolutionary change nationwide in eminent domain laws—except in Connecticut.


Christina Walsh
Director of Activism and Coalitions
Institute for Justice
901 N. Glebe Road, Suite 900
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 682-9320

Oct 20

If you were unable to attend the Oct 19th SRC meeting, don't fret about it.  It was the same old thing, just a different date.

There were no public comments made which shows that either people still don't understand what is happening, or they just don't care.

I personally didn't have anything to say since nothing has really been done lately.


Here is a synopsis of the meeting for those of you who can stay awake long enough to read it.

Quorum established

Minutes from last meeting approved.

Minutes of Special meeting approved

No Public Comments

Review of long term Control Plan squashed because of the Town Manager having last minute obligations.

Main Street Update

       3 Bids received Friday for replacement and repair of sewer lines which will be reviewed by Structurepoint

         Calumet $5,561,577

         Sunesis  $5,394,564

         Reith Riley  $5.897,600

       Alternate bids were requested for storm lines

         1.  smaller lines used

         2.  slip liner over lines

         3.  enhance electrical outlets along Main St

There was then a talk about Vent boxes to provide electricity for future Main St events.  There will be outlets on Street lights and at the base of the planted trees.



There will be a public hearing October 27th regarding State funding which will be used for sanitary and storm lines.  The SRC will then have to have a meeting to select the winning bid.



Next, Scott Harris talked about how the estimates made in 2007 by Structurepoint are actually higher than recent estimates, which is wonderful since every other town is going over their project amounts. He stated that the latest estimate was 79% lower than our original estimate.



Property Requisition

Appraisals being done along Main Street and other areas of Redevelopment areas 1 and 2.  The SRC is working with Allison and Praxair for property they now own.



Then once again we heard about the Main Street Phase 1-4.

And once again Bill Jones had to bring up why the project was starting at Charlie Browns and then going to 10th Street for Phase 2.  And once again we had to hear from Scott Harris that it is because it is the lowest point and they work to the highest.

We learned that the "hump" along Main Street won't be gone, but will be reduced to 2 feet high.

Groundbreaking will be around the 3rd week of November.

Main Street property owners should call Scott Harris regarding the Phases if they have question. There are pieces of property which will need to be worked around,



Next came discussions regarding art working groups (if anyone wants to volunteer) and the Wall of Fame with items from Praxair, IMS, and Main Street.



Ron Fisher stated that regarding Redevelopment Area 1 Mansur is finalizing the development and an announcement will be made before the end of the year regarding real estate.


Bill Jones said that Structurepoint will present findings regarding Area 2 at the next SRC meeting.


Scott Harris said that they are continuing dialogue with International Village.


Approval of claims approved.


Terry Reed said that study groups are being put together regarding the school budget, but consolidation is not being considered.


Scott Harris brought up legal notices that appeared in Monday's Indianapolis Star regarding tax levys by towns. (2008 payable in 2009).   He said that Speedway virtually has the lowest school tax levy.


The meeting ended at 6:30.  (snore)


Nothing about Georgetown Rd closing.

Nothing about the 16th Street project

Nothing about Holt Rd extension.


FYI:


We are working on a blog for the website so keep checking in.


That's it for now.


Next SPEED meeting is the 1st Wednesday in November at the VFW on west 10th.

There are plans being made for a future endeavor, so please come and bring a friend or neighbor.

The closing of Georgetown Rd is not dead.  We need to stop it before it goes any further.

Spread the word!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Please let others know about SPEEDWAYCITIZENS.COM.
I will be updating the site more often.


Hope to see you there.


Next SPEED meeting is April 6, 2010
VFW on W. 10th Street , 6 p.m.

LATEST NEWS

SPEED's next meeting is April 6 at 6 pm located at the VFW post, 5139 W 10th Street