Post by Anonymous on Nov 5, 2013 7:16:22 GMT -6
How dare the Mayor even think of this when there are bar fights to break up, public urination to address and pigeon/bat caves to secure? You'd think by this idea he was a progressive business minded leader. It HAS to be a conspiracy of some sort. (I'm being sarcastic. I think the majority of council members HAVE been successful business leaders BEFORE they ran for public office. They have the credentials needed to run the city.)
Streator eyes huge economic project
11/04/2013, 10:25 pm
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Derek Barichello, derekb@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4073
Streator Mayor Jimmie Lansford put a bug in the governor's ear for a project that could have a regional effect on economic development, and now, he's looking to network with other local governments.
Lansford suggested to Gov. Pat Quinn on Oct. 6 that Streator would be an ideal spot for an intermodal facility for freight trains.
The idea, however, is just an idea. For now.
Intermodal facilities have led to thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in investments in other locations around Illinois, including Rochelle in Ogle County and Elwood in Will County.
Lansford met with Quinn for about five minutes after watching him speak at the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in Peru.
In Quinn's remarks, he said the state is looking to expand its transportation infrastructure through Illinois Jobs Now funds, mentioning intermodal facilities as one of the possible projects.
There is no funding left for a capital project of that magnitude, but the governor is hoping the General Assembly will free up funding next spring to resume the Illinois Jobs Now program, said David Blanchette, Quinn spokesman.
"That type of thing is an ideal capital construction project for what the governor was talking about," Blanchette said in a phone interview Monday.
Streator would be a good location for an intermodal, Lansford said, because the Norfolk Southern and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroads intersect there. The old Santa Fe line connects to Los Angeles, and Norfolk Southern lines run toward the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Freight trains often are delayed moving through the Chicago hub. The idea behind an intermodal facility in Streator would be to create a coast-to-coast connection between the two major rail lines bypassing Chicago, said City Manager Paul Nicholson.
"There is a hypothetical opportunity," Nicholson said. "What we know of the rail industry is that it has shown an interest in turning all its intermodal to bypass Chicago because of the bottleneck there."
Also, Streator has access to Interstate 39 (12 miles away), Interstate 55 (20 miles) and Interstate 80 (18 miles), the mayor said. A site in Streator could serve as a link to the proposed Illiana Expressway, which would connect Northern Indiana and Will County.
"Whether it will materialize or not, I don't know," Lansford told The Times last week. "We're trying to get the pieces working together."
That has meant reaching out to Livingston and La Salle county boards and eventually other mayors in those counties, Lansford said.
"We know if we're the only ones in this, it will not go far," Lansford said. "We're working together because this project would have a positive effect not only on Streator but also on the region."
Streator is not located within Norfolk Southern's intermodal network, meaning the railroad may not see the city as ideal, said Robin Chapman, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern.
"The two most important [factors] are traffic density and strategic location," Chapman said in an email Monday about building an intermodal. "Is it near a large population center that would generate enough freight moving in and out to justify the investment? Is there a potential to convert a significant quantity of freight from highway to rail? Is the site strategically located within our intermodal network?"
She added: "If a local entity such as a county or city has an interest in building an intermodal terminal themselves, we can provide data to help them determine the feasibility and viability of such a project."
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe would not speculate on the possibility of future projects, said its regional spokesperson Andy Williams. Streator is located on BNSF's intermodal network map, according to the company's web site.
City officials know the railroad lines are untapped resources that could lead to long-term economic development, Nicholson said.
The Global III Intermodal Facility in Rochelle, a city of 9,574, has led to an estimated $10 to $12 million in additional industrial expansion, 4,500 jobs and $1 billion in capital investment since it was constructed in 2003, said Jason Anderson, Rochelle director of economic development.
"Global III has had a regional impact," he said.
The Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe lines intersect in Rochelle, as well as interstates 39 and 88, leading Union Pacific to build an intermodal facility there. Rochelle also has city-owned railroad lines connecting industry to the major rail lines.
The 1,200-acre intermodal facility has been used to transport pipes, grain and wind turbine components globally, Anderson said. It is one of the largest facilities in the Union Pacific transportation system.
The village of Elwood, with a population of 2,279, transformed the former Joliet Arsenal to a 2,200-acre intermodal facility that increased property tax revenue by about $27 million and created thousands of jobs, according to the village's website.
The city of Streator already capitalizes on an agreement last year to transport truck-driven silica sand from Utica via the Norfolk Southern railway to the East Coast. The city receives a 10-cent per ton impact fee for the first five years of that agreement.
- See more at: mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=484180#sthash.tFq3xVCI.dpuf
Streator eyes huge economic project
11/04/2013, 10:25 pm
Comment on this story | Print this story | Email this story
Derek Barichello, derekb@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4073
Streator Mayor Jimmie Lansford put a bug in the governor's ear for a project that could have a regional effect on economic development, and now, he's looking to network with other local governments.
Lansford suggested to Gov. Pat Quinn on Oct. 6 that Streator would be an ideal spot for an intermodal facility for freight trains.
The idea, however, is just an idea. For now.
Intermodal facilities have led to thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in investments in other locations around Illinois, including Rochelle in Ogle County and Elwood in Will County.
Lansford met with Quinn for about five minutes after watching him speak at the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in Peru.
In Quinn's remarks, he said the state is looking to expand its transportation infrastructure through Illinois Jobs Now funds, mentioning intermodal facilities as one of the possible projects.
There is no funding left for a capital project of that magnitude, but the governor is hoping the General Assembly will free up funding next spring to resume the Illinois Jobs Now program, said David Blanchette, Quinn spokesman.
"That type of thing is an ideal capital construction project for what the governor was talking about," Blanchette said in a phone interview Monday.
Streator would be a good location for an intermodal, Lansford said, because the Norfolk Southern and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroads intersect there. The old Santa Fe line connects to Los Angeles, and Norfolk Southern lines run toward the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Freight trains often are delayed moving through the Chicago hub. The idea behind an intermodal facility in Streator would be to create a coast-to-coast connection between the two major rail lines bypassing Chicago, said City Manager Paul Nicholson.
"There is a hypothetical opportunity," Nicholson said. "What we know of the rail industry is that it has shown an interest in turning all its intermodal to bypass Chicago because of the bottleneck there."
Also, Streator has access to Interstate 39 (12 miles away), Interstate 55 (20 miles) and Interstate 80 (18 miles), the mayor said. A site in Streator could serve as a link to the proposed Illiana Expressway, which would connect Northern Indiana and Will County.
"Whether it will materialize or not, I don't know," Lansford told The Times last week. "We're trying to get the pieces working together."
That has meant reaching out to Livingston and La Salle county boards and eventually other mayors in those counties, Lansford said.
"We know if we're the only ones in this, it will not go far," Lansford said. "We're working together because this project would have a positive effect not only on Streator but also on the region."
Streator is not located within Norfolk Southern's intermodal network, meaning the railroad may not see the city as ideal, said Robin Chapman, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern.
"The two most important [factors] are traffic density and strategic location," Chapman said in an email Monday about building an intermodal. "Is it near a large population center that would generate enough freight moving in and out to justify the investment? Is there a potential to convert a significant quantity of freight from highway to rail? Is the site strategically located within our intermodal network?"
She added: "If a local entity such as a county or city has an interest in building an intermodal terminal themselves, we can provide data to help them determine the feasibility and viability of such a project."
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe would not speculate on the possibility of future projects, said its regional spokesperson Andy Williams. Streator is located on BNSF's intermodal network map, according to the company's web site.
City officials know the railroad lines are untapped resources that could lead to long-term economic development, Nicholson said.
The Global III Intermodal Facility in Rochelle, a city of 9,574, has led to an estimated $10 to $12 million in additional industrial expansion, 4,500 jobs and $1 billion in capital investment since it was constructed in 2003, said Jason Anderson, Rochelle director of economic development.
"Global III has had a regional impact," he said.
The Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe lines intersect in Rochelle, as well as interstates 39 and 88, leading Union Pacific to build an intermodal facility there. Rochelle also has city-owned railroad lines connecting industry to the major rail lines.
The 1,200-acre intermodal facility has been used to transport pipes, grain and wind turbine components globally, Anderson said. It is one of the largest facilities in the Union Pacific transportation system.
The village of Elwood, with a population of 2,279, transformed the former Joliet Arsenal to a 2,200-acre intermodal facility that increased property tax revenue by about $27 million and created thousands of jobs, according to the village's website.
The city of Streator already capitalizes on an agreement last year to transport truck-driven silica sand from Utica via the Norfolk Southern railway to the East Coast. The city receives a 10-cent per ton impact fee for the first five years of that agreement.
- See more at: mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=484180#sthash.tFq3xVCI.dpuf