Letter: Keep fighting in spite of Mid-States Corridor “propaganda”

The propaganda from INDOT and the Lochmueller Group is beyond belief. Just visit their “Mid-States Corridor” Facebook page for verification. After both a local and a statewide poll showed overwhelming opposition to the Mid-States Corridor and its $3+ billion cost, they keep insisting that this ill-conceived project is for the benefit of all the people. It’s this arrogance that is truly unbelievable.

As of today, the Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority is hardly a “Regional” authority about anything. One county, Spencer, and two towns, Jasper and Huntingburg, in all good conscience, do not constitute a “region”. In the near future, both Jasper and Huntingburg will be voting to exit the Mid-States Corridor RDA; and, hopefully, they will vote the RDA out. When this happens, how can Spencer County be a “region” that can impact 4 counties, Dubois, Martin, Daviess and Greene? This may have been the intent of Mike Braun, Mark Messmer, Hank Menke and their cabal with SB128, but it was never the intent of the 2004 RDA Law.

Here are just 3 of the latest propaganda initiatives by INDOT and the Lochmueller Group:

First, is their updated analysis that they say shows the anticipated relocation impacts will be lower than they originally estimated in the Tier 1 FEIS. The latest estimated relocation impacts will be roughly 50% less than their earlier estimates. At first reading this sounds like a good thing; however, the estimates should have been, and should be, zero relocations. We the people do not want or need this boon-doggle.

Next, is the attempt to minimize public comment. Yes, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue the Tier 2 FEIS. They are doing this even though their data has been shown to be faulty.

Then, there are the comments that soon the preferred corridor/route will be selected and once selected right-of-way acquisition will begin, ahead of construction, pending FHWA approval. How this will happen without funding is going to be a good magic trick.

What one won’t see on their Facebook page is that the FHWA very quietly opened a 30-day Comment Period on the Mid-States Corridor, beginning June 1 and ending July 1. One can find how to submit a comment on the STOP-THE-CORRIDOR Facebook page and in the Dubois County Free Press. At this time, over 70 people have commented, with only one comment in favor of the Corridor. Just shows that, one more time, the majority of people in “the region” are adamantly opposed to the project.

We are in the middle of election-year “politicking”. Let’s remember that opposition to the Corridor is non-partisan. The highway is not right or left, liberal or conservative, poor or rich, nor is it even Democrat or Republican. It’s just plain wrong. We all need to vote for those who will go to Indianapolis and vote to NOT fund the Corridor and vote TO overturn SB128 and end the Mid-States Corridor nightmare.

Friends, Hoosiers and neighbors, now is the time to stand and be counted as opponents to the Cabal and the Corridor. Together we can end this nightmare once and for all.

Jim Arvin
Rutherford Township
Martin County

Editor’s notes: This letter was not written by Mr. Arvin, the former CEO of Jasper Desk. The county’s decision to withdraw from the RDA is subject to a 12-month window, per a clarification from the Indiana Attorney General’s office on the withdrawal notification process. Any individual municipality’s withdrawal is unlikely to affect the RDA’s overall lifespan. The Huntingburg and Jasper city councils have not taken up the issue since being presented with competing resolutions — one to withdraw from the RDA, one to remain — last summer.