Articles
Governor Daniels' Weekly Update: 7/17/08
A look at news and events in the Daniels Administration
Volume 2, Issue 89
July 7-13, 2008
Thirty-three Hoosiers receive awards at the 38th Annual Indiana Black Expo Governor's Reception
July 15, 2008 - Thirty-three education, business and community leaders from across the state were recognized for their accomplishments at the Indiana Black Expo, Inc. 38th Annual Summer Celebration (IBE) Governor's Reception.
"I look forward to this event every year as it heralds the arrival of one of the great occasions of our state, the Indiana Black Expo," said Governor Mitch Daniels. "This is a great time to pay homage to the best among us, to people who have led lives of excellence and example, both professional and moral."
Award recipients were selected by the governor in collaboration with the Minority and Women's Business Enterprises division of the Indiana Department of Administration. Governor Daniels, Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman and IBE CEO Tanya Bell presented the awards at a ceremony at the State House.
Twenty-eight individuals received the Governor's Award for Achievement for excellence and service in the fields of education, business, technology, health and religion. Five individuals received specialized awards for leadership and community service.
Awardees included Arthur Carter, Dr. Gohar Azam Salam, Quentin Smith, Pamela Decker, Dr. Willie Reed, Dr. R. Drew Smith, Hana Stith, Donte Adams, Cornelius Harper, Clarence Lyles, Dr. Hilton Hudson, Dr. Sophia Janjua Khan, Dr. Steve Simpson, Clara Walton, Rev. Raymond C. Dix Jr., Rev. Fitzhugh Lyons, Imam Michael 'Mikal' Saahir, Brother Roy Smith, Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, Maurice E. Coates Jr., Roosevelt Haywood III, Adell Means, Deb Oatts, Bill Brooks, Anthony Calhoun, Tamika Catchings, Tarik Glenn, Milton Thompson, Reginald and Tracey Jones, Sister Jane Nesmith, Alpha Blackburn and Don Thompson.
Storm recovery help continues with new Office of Disaster Recovery
July 7, 2008 - Governor Mitch Daniels has created the Office of Disaster Recovery to lead the state's efforts to repair and rebuild following the series of storms that struck much of Indiana in late May and early June. Andy Miller, the director of the state Department of Agriculture, will be assigned to manage the activities of the office.
"We have to do as competent a job of helping victims and communities recover as Hoosiers did responding to the immediate dangers of the disaster," said Daniels. "We don't want a single person or town to miss a deadline or an opportunity to receive assistance for which they're eligible."
Deadlines for individual and public assistance are approaching. Many people referred to the Small Business Administration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have not returned their loan applications. The deadline to do so is August 11. Likewise, public assistance deadlines for the first 26 counties approved for that category of assistance are July 21.
Daniels has signed Executive Order 08-15 to create the office, which will represent the governor in coordinating state agency storm relief efforts with the federal government as well as with other public and private entities and local governments.
Efforts will focus on long-term recovery plans and polices for:
o Obtaining the maximum amount of federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts by individuals, businesses, state agencies, and local units of government
o Exercising the necessary operational authority in recovery effort decisions on behalf of the state.
o Providing technical assistance, education and outreach to local governments and private organizations working on recovery efforts at the community level
Developing a final report to the governor on the response and recovery efforts including recommendations for the future based on lessons learned during this experience.
While Miller is on assignment, the governor has named Ken Klemme, the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture, to serve as acting director.
There is no fixed timeframe for the operations of the office. The Indiana Office of Disaster Recovery is similar to one in Mississippi created to help the state rebuild after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
Shortly after the severe weather struck the state, Daniels directed that the state establish "one-stop" disaster assistance centers in areas most affected by storms and flooding. Those centers, the first of their kind, put storm victims directly in touched with needed state services such as the Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Workforce Development, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and others, under one roof. In most locations, the state co-located with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Governor Daniels Presents Nickel Plate Trail with Grant
July 12, 2008 -- Governor Mitch Daniels formally presented a state trails grant in the amount of $900,000 to Nickel Plate Trail, Inc., during a ceremony along the trail. The grant, which was announced earlier this year, is part of the Hoosiers on the Move statewide trails plan.
In May, the governor announced a one-time distribution of $19 million in new investment directed to 28 projects for 104 miles of new trails, including portions of the Nickel Plate Trail. The $19 million is in addition to the $20 million the state invests annually in trails funding as a part of the Hoosiers on the Move initiative.
Currently the state system includes about 400 miles of multi-use trails. The 10-year plan calls for every Hoosier to be within 15 minutes of a trail.
The Nickel Plate Trail is a 38-mile trail on a railroad corridor in Howard, Miami, and Fulton Counties. It is the second longest rail trail project in Indiana behind the Cardinal Greenway.
Governor Daniels Makes Stops in Allen, Huntington Counties
July 12, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels was no stranger to Northeast Indiana this past weekend. He began his morning in Fort Wayne at the Three Rivers Festival Parade, stopped in Huntington County for the 4-H Western Horse Show, and ended his day in Bunker Hill to attend a ceremony along the Nickel Plate Trail.
Despite some rainy weather, Governor Daniels rode his 2004 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider alongside members of the Patriot Guard Riders in the Fort Wayne parade.
After the parade, the governor rode south to Huntington County, where he visited with members of the Huntington County 4-H Club during the Western Horse Show at the Chief LaFontaine Saddle Club.
IN THE NEWS:
'Telecom company will add 250 jobs'
The Indianapolis Star
July 12, 2008
Telamon Corp., a Carmel telecommunications company, will add 250 jobs in the next four years to help meet an increasing demand for information technology support services.
The firm will hire engineers, information technology specialists, managers, technicians and support staff to help it handle new projects.
Albert Chen, who founded Telamon in 1985 and is its chief executive officer, announced the hiring plans at a news conference Wednesday with Gov. Mitch Daniels and Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. The 259-employee company also will invest more than $3 million to upgrade its technical support, engineering and logistics operations at its corporate complex, 1000 E. 116th St.
'Gov. awards state grant to Nickel Plate Trail'
WANE TV - Fort Wayne
July 13, 2008
BUNKER HILL, Ind. -- Governor Mitch Daniels formally presented a state trails grant in the amount of $900,000 to Nickel Plate Trail, Inc., during a ceremony Saturday along the trail. The grant, which was announced earlier this year, is part of the Hoosiers on the Move statewide trails plan.
In May, the governor announced a one-time distribution of $19 million in new investment directed to 28 projects for 104 miles of new trails, including portions of the Nickel Plate Trail. The $19 million is in addition to the $20 million the state invests annually in trails funding as a part of the Hoosiers on the Move initiative.
Currently the state system includes about 400 miles of multi-use trails. The 10-year plan calls for every Hoosier to be within 15 minutes of a trail.
The Nickel Plate Trail is a 38-mile trail on a railroad corridor in Howard, Miami, and Fulton Counties. It is the second longest rail trail project in Indiana behind the Cardinal Greenway.
'What's all the fuss about the Toll Road?'
The Indianapolis Star
July 13, 2008
By Matthew Tully
More than two years have passed since Gov. Mitch Daniels persuaded the General Assembly to let him lease the Indiana Toll Road to a private company and use roughly $3.8 billion in proceeds to finance road projects around the state.
If you listen closely, you can still hear echoes of the screams of anger from back in 2006. And though the screaming has quieted, time hasn't dulled the debate over what was arguably Daniels' most divisive policy decision. In recent weeks, the controversy saw new life after reports in Northern Indiana newspapers about letters of complaint that frustrated Toll Road drivers had sent to the state.
The reports sparked such a debate about the state of the Toll Road -- from road conditions to the quality of toll plaza bathrooms -- that I decided to head north on a recent day to check out Indiana's most controversial stretch of pavement. Starting just after 8:30 on a Monday morning, I entered the Toll Road a few miles west of the Ohio border. From there, I spent several hours driving the 157-mile road to Chicago, making a dozen or so stops along the way to check out toll plazas and toll booths, and to talk to people in cities the Toll Road cuts through.
This column probably would be more interesting if I'd found anything to complain about: A traffic jam. A pothole to rival those that marked Indy's streets this spring. An obvious sign of mismanagement. Anything.
After all, the complaint letters had conjured images of long lines at toll booths, roach-infested bathrooms, rude toll collectors, $10-a-gallon gas and massive potholes. But I found none of that. Instead, I found a road that was easy to drive, free of problems and freshly paved in many spots.
We can debate the decision to lease the road. In time we'll know for sure whether Indiana came out ahead on a deal that featured a 75-year lease and a one-time payment.
Moreover, a one-day drive provides only a snapshot. On a summer afternoon in 2007, I fumed while sitting through a poorly run toll booth in Hammond; a year earlier, I drove the Toll Road on a snowy day and found it unplowed.
But on one Monday, at least, life on the Indiana Toll Road was fine, and certainly not anywhere near as bad as critics are portraying it. Here are portions of the Toll Road diary I kept as I cruised across Northern Indiana:
Mile Marker 144: Here in Angola, nine miles west of the Ohio border, a machine spits out a ticket that will determine the tolls I pay down the road. (Drivers paying cash, as opposed to using the new electronic i-Zoom system, recently saw tolls double, the first increase in tolls since Ronald Reagan was president.) Traffic is light, the medians and shoulders are clean, and the road near Angola is freshly paved.
Mile Marker 121: I stop to look at the Ernie Pyle travel plaza, which is under reconstruction. Some drivers have complained about the bathrooms along the Toll Road. But the men's room here (sorry, ladies, I couldn't check out your facilities) is decent enough. It smells like a locker room but is clean. What more would you expect from a roadside restroom?
One valid complaint: Gas prices are roughly 20 cents higher per gallon than what I saw at gas stations off the Toll Road that morning.
Mile Marker 77: I've been driving for about 80 miles without incident. I haven't even had to tap my brakes once because of traffic, and the travel plazas have been clean and customer-friendly. I decide to veer off at South Bend, a city that has been Ground Zero for complaints about the Toll Road lease. Downtown, I talk to a retiree named John Squint. He'd read the news reports about driver complaints.
"It didn't ever make sense," he says of the lease. "It's not working out."
A few steps away, I talk to Tom Doyle, who works in a used-book store.
"I thought it was a good idea," he says of the lease. "It gave the state some money, and we're getting roads we need."
And so, the debate continues.
Mile Marker 56: After another 20 miles on the Toll Road, I pull into the Wilbur Shaw travel plaza. Gas is cheaper here, and the restaurant area is clean. A group of retirees from Minnesota sits at a picnic bench, eating lunch on a break between Minnesota and Toronto.
"This is the best highway I've ever been on," Bill Greenwood tells me. "Very smooth."
After I explain the details of the Toll Road lease, Greenwood ponders the matter. "That's a good idea," he said. "They should do that in Minnesota."
Then, after pondering the idea for a few more seconds, Greenwood asks why the state didn't fix up the road itself and use maximized profits to fund other road projects. Indiana Democrats have asked the same question for years.
Nearby, Tim Vaughn, a retired Chicago city worker who lives half of the year in Bass Lake, Ind., is taking a break from riding his Harley between Chicago and northeastern Indiana. The roads farther west in Northwest Indiana, he says, "are a little beaten up" but still much better than those in Illinois.
Exit 39: I leave the Toll Road briefly at Michigan City. As with every other toll booth, the workers are friendly here, even though they are now in a bitter contract dispute with the road's private operator.
Exit 23: Eight lanes are open at the busy Portage toll plaza at about noon. I have to wait about 30 seconds to pay my 50 cents. Construction crews are rebuilding the exit ramp area. Road construction can be a hassle, but as a rule I never complain about roads under repair.
Mile Marker 21: As I enter Lake County, I realize Vaughn, the biker from Chicago, was right. The roads are bumpier. For the next 15 miles, construction and traffic are heavy, and my car endures a few shakes, rattles and rolls. Still, there are no delays or major problems.
Mile Marker 5: Traffic moves briskly through the toll plaza in Hammond. From there, it's a quick drive to the Illinois border. About six hours after I began my journey, I cross into Chicago, a city, by the way, that leased a portion of its Toll Road first, but without the controversy that followed Indiana's lease.
I've never understood the controversy over leasing a stretch of pavement. And after driving the entire stretch of the Indiana Toll Road on a recent weekday, I still don't understand all the complaints.
'Groundbreaking close for long-awaited Interstate 69'
The Evansville Courier and Press
July 13, 2008
By Bryan Corbin
INDIANAPOLIS - Southwestern Indiana residents might find it hard to believe after years of lobbying, studies, debates, legislative funding fights, lawsuits and protests, but construction of the Interstate 69 extension finally is scheduled to start this week.
Decades after the Evansville-to-Indianapolis highway first was discussed and 17 years after serious planning began, ground will be broken this week on the initial segment of the first section of I-69.
Courtesy Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates Inc. This aerial photograph depicts where the first two-mile segment of the new Interstate 69 will be constructed, between Interstate 64 to the south and State Road 68 to the north in southern Gibson County.
Courtesy Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates Inc. This map shows the first of six sections of the new Interstate 69 highway. Section 1 will stretch 13 miles from north of Evansville to Oakland City, Ind. The six sections of I-69 will be built sequentially, south to north, up to Indianapolis.
That segment is short: less than two miles long - between the existing Interstate 64 and State Road 68.
But with funding available and a contractor ready to move dirt, it might even be possible for motorists to drive on that piece of I-69 by late fall 2009, transportation officials said. By 2011, the rest of the interstate's first section - stretching 13 miles from Evansville to Oakland City, Ind. - is to be under construction.
"Almost everyone said 'It will never be built,'" said David B. Graham, an 80-year-old retired farmer from Daviess County who was one of the earliest and most persistent advocates for the project. Twenty-five years after Graham and some like-minded businesspeople first lobbied for an Evansville-to-Indianapolis highway, the interstate now is becoming a reality.
"I'm going to be thrilled to see it," Graham said.
Plans call for building the six sections of the interstate sequentially, south to north, until I-69 links with Interstate 465 at Indianapolis, a decade or more from now. The completion date of the entire $2 billion project is not precisely known.
I-69 now runs from Michigan through Fort Wayne, Ind., to Indianapolis. Construction is intended eventually to complete the missing link of the interstate system that long has left Evansville cut off from the rest of the state, as part of a larger corridor that would someday connect Canada to Mexico.
Backers of the I-69 extension long have touted it as boosting Southwestern Indiana's economy. They predict businesses and jobs will relocate to the area to take advantage of interstate access and proximity to the Crane Naval warfare center.
With gasoline and diesel prices skyrocketing, having a direct-access road between Evansville and Indianapolis eventually will save drivers mileage, time and fuel costs, advocates say.
"It's going to create a better environment for moving people and goods, and make it a heck of a lot easier to get to the state capital" or move north-south, said Greg Wathen, president and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwestern Indiana.
Wathen predicts industrial development along the interstate will be slow initially but will gain speed as the project unfolds and utilities are extended to the area.
Gestating for many years, the extension has undergone a number of feasibility studies. The current project has its roots in the Mid-Continent Highway Coalition, a group of businesspeople in eight states from Indiana to Texas who organized in 1992 to lobby the federal government for a new interstate highway.
In 2003, then-Gov. Frank O'Bannon chose a direct route through Southwestern Indiana towns and farmland.
Insufficient federal funding to build the interstate left the project stalled, however.
In 2006, Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed funding I-69 using proceeds from leasing the northern Indiana toll road to a private firm. The lease payment included $700 million for I-69, enough to build from Evansville to Crane.
From the beginning, a new-terrain I-69 has had its detractors, including Bloomington resident Tom Tokarski, president of Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads or CARR.
Tokarski's group long has warned about the loss of homes, farmland, forestland and a rural way of life if the interstate is built. Tokarski was one of the plaintiffs in a 2006 federal lawsuit to block the project, a suit the federal judge dismissed.
He contends many Southwestern Indiana residents oppose I-69 and those who support it eventually will come to regret it.
"They are hung up on this highway, and they are being misled and manipulated and used by political forces, and the people in Evansville will suffer for it. Eventually it's going to be seen as a huge boondoggle," Tokarski said.
The failure of mainstream environmental groups such as CARR to stop I-69 construction, Tokarski believes, has inspired the radical environmental group Roadblock Earth First to ratchet up its opposition.
Demonstrators from Roadblock Earth First have vandalized offices of I-69 engineering consultants and made veiled Internet threats like "We will never let them build this road."
While he shares their opposition, Tokarski disavows the group's tactics and said his group never engages in violence or property destruction.
Security concerns arising from Roadblock Earth First's actions led organizers of this week's groundbreaking ceremony to move the event indoors to Evansville. Since up to 1,000 people might attend, holding an outdoor groundbreaking at the Gibson County construction site would have been an "overwhelming" burden on local law enforcement, said Nicole Minton, public involvement coordinator with the project manager, Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates Inc. "It wouldn't take a whole lot (for Earth First) to create a very threatening situation, having a traditional groundbreaking."
The invitation-only ceremony is paid for by Hoosier Voices for I-69, an affiliate of the Southwestern Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and not with state tax dollars. Steve Schaefer, executive director of Hoosier Voices, said a designated protest area will be set up outside for the expected anti-I-69 demonstrators.
The ceremony will honor early organizers of the I-69 project, including Graham and Jim Newland, longtime leader of the Mid-Continent Highway Coalition, and two now-deceased supporters: Randy Rohlfer and former Hoosier Voices leader David Quandt.
"So many of these individuals have put their lives into this project; 20, 30 years working on (building I-69)," Schaefer said. The event will celebrate the "tremendous historic nature of the highway for future generations," he said.
