The Pufferbelly cometh

[Mike_Walter]

LEGAL NOTICE The City of Auburn, Indiana (210 E. 9th Street, Auburn In. 46706 ) is submitting a Notice of Intent (NOI ) letter to notify the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of our intent to comply with the requirements under 327 IAC 15-5 to discharge storm water from construction activities for the following project: Shared-Use Path along Van Buren and Jackson Street between Wayne Street and North Street. Run-off from the project site will discharge to Cedar Creek. Questions or comments should be directed to Steven A. Bruns at the above mentioned City of Auburn address or call 260-925-8264 ext. 1401. TS,00308644,7/27

The above appeared in today's Star, which means that the City of Auburn is getting set to build its segment of the "Pufferbelly Trail" along North Van Buren and South Jackson Streets, a misplaced use of grant money if there ever was one. People on the east side of South Jackson Street have known for a long time that this was coming -- an eight-foot-wide bicycle path where all anybody wanted was a four-foot-wide residential sidewalk. But how about the people on North Van Buren? And how many people know that when completed, this thing will be called the Pufferbelly Trail? How many even know what a "Pufferbelly" is...or was?

[HoosierHelen]

LEGAL NOTICE The City of Auburn, Indiana (210 E. 9th Street, Auburn In. 46706 ) is submitting a Notice of Intent (NOI ) letter to notify the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of our intent to comply with the requirements under 327 IAC 15-5 to discharge storm water from construction activities for the following project: Shared-Use Path along Van Buren and Jackson Street between Wayne Street and North Street. Run-off from the project site will discharge to Cedar Creek. Questions or comments should be directed to Steven A. Bruns at the above mentioned City of Auburn address or call 260-925-8264 ext. 1401. TS,00308644,7/27

The above appeared in today's Star, which means that the City of Auburn is getting set to build its segment of the "Pufferbelly Trail" along North Van Buren and South Jackson Streets, a misplaced use of grant money if there ever was one. People on the east side of South Jackson Street have known for a long time that this was coming -- an eight-foot-wide bicycle path where all anybody wanted was a four-foot-wide residential sidewalk. But how about the people on North Van Buren? And how many people know that when completed, this thing will be called the Pufferbelly Trail? How many even know what a "Pufferbelly" is...or was?

Ok, Mike, you got me on the 'Pufferbelly'. After a good 'Google', I get the following:

The name is derived from the historic nickname for a steam locomotive, which is "pufferbelly." The ultimate goal of the new trail is to provide for more connectivity in northwest Fort Wayne, as well as to offer Fort Wayne residents a safe, alternative transportation route for bicyclists and pedestrians. The Pufferbelly Trail will provide connections to five northwest neighborhoods, Centlivre Apartments, the Children's Zoo, Franke Park, Vesey Park, Franke Park Elementary School, Science Central, Imagine MASTer Academy and Northside High School. In addition, the residents in the five neighborhoods and Centlivre Apartments along the Pufferbelly Trail will be connected to the 23-mile Rivergreenway network. The Pufferbelly Trail is one segment of a State Visionary Trail that will ultimately be 80-miles long, running from Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache Sate Park in Bluffton. The total cost of the trail project is estimated at $1,450,000. Trail construction should begin in 2012.

[evilkumquat]

It doesn't quite have the ring of the "Harry Baals Trail", does it?

[ARMYMPVET]

Ok. Goofy name. But I would like to know what is wrong with a trail system? If more people get out and walk or ride bikes doesn't this promote better health and less greenhouse gas. I thought you of all people Councilman Walter would be behind a project like this.

[armyda]

Mike,

You called this a "misplaced use of grant money" How do you feel that it is misplaced and what do you think the better place for it is?

[ARMYMPVET]

One thing that Councilman Walter failed to mention, this grant money can ONLY be used on the trail system. Nothing else. That is what the grant is for, trails. If not spent in our community, what community trails would Mike like to see this money go? And yes Helen, you are correct. Pufferbelly, in this case refers to a steam locomotive.

[sturmtiger]

One thing that Councilman Walter failed to mention, this grant money can ONLY be used on the trail system. Nothing else. That is what the grant is for, trails. If not spent in our community, what community trails would Mike like to see this money go? And yes Helen, you are correct. Pufferbelly, in this case refers to a steam locomotive.

Yes they are putting the trails down on old Railway right of way. I think it is a great use of what often is unused eyesores in a community. I fully support this project.

[hairypumper]

Yes they are putting the trails down on old Railway right of way. I think it is a great use of what often is unused eyesores in a community. I fully support this project.

Is this an abandoned right of way? If so, I guess it's quite easy to support a project that affects other peoples' property. I'm sure the people who live along this trail will welcome the added traffic, noise, and litter. Perhaps Mike is just echoing the concerns of the affected citizens. Isn't that what council members are elected for, to be the voice of the people?

[HomeyG]

Is this an abandoned right of way? If so, I guess it's quite easy to support a project that affects other peoples' property. I'm sure the people who live along this trail will welcome the added traffic, noise, and litter. Perhaps Mike is just echoing the concerns of the affected citizens. Isn't that what council members are elected for, to be the voice of the people?

I may agree with you if that is what Mike said, but unfortunately, he didn't. It would be interesting if Mike would tell us where that money could be better spent.

[HoosierHelen]

Mike has not yet responded with his thoughts on the waste of this project. I do not know him personally and cannot obviously know his mind.

My thoughts for alternate uses for this money have been along the line of helping house the homeless families in our community, providing necessary medical and educational tools for the underprivileged children in our community, and placing those needs above the walking trails and cycling trails for those who choose to not use the established paths that already exits within our community to improve their health and muscle tone.

I do remember that when Mr. Walters had his terrible bicycle accident, he was riding his bicycle on a public street. There is a great need for safe trails for walking and bicycling in Auburn. Yet where are our priorities? Fitness for the walkers and bikers above our needs of our underprivileged families and their children? I visited a bike trail in FW last weekend, those who were riding had the highest grade gear and bikes and were celebrating while drinking expensive bottled waters. That is all good.

Supporting health & fitness is important for all of our citizens. None of us can expect to attain this status if not receiving the basic nutritional & educational needs of our youth. The question is ... what are our priorities?

[armyda]

Mike has not yet responded with his thoughts on the waste of this project. I do not know him personally and cannot obviously know his mind.

My thoughts for alternate uses for this money have been along the line of helping house the homeless families in our community, providing necessary medical and educational tools for the underprivileged children in our community, and placing those needs above the walking trails and cycling trails for those who choose to not use the established paths that already exits within our community to improve their health and muscle tone.

I do remember that when Mr. Walters had his terrible bicycle accident, he was riding his bicycle on a public street. There is a great need for safe trails for walking and bicycling in Auburn. Yet where are our priorities? Fitness for the walkers and bikers above our needs of our underprivileged families and their children? I visited a bike trail in FW last weekend, those who were riding had the highest grade gear and bikes and were celebrating while drinking expensive bottled waters. That is all good.

Supporting health & fitness is important for all of our citizens. None of us can expect to attain this status if not receiving the basic nutritional & educational needs of our youth. The question is ... what are our priorities?

Helen,

As in Mike's original post this is a "Grant" I would imagine the City applied for the Grant for a purpose. You can't just use those funds however you wish to. They are for a purpose. If you don't fulfill the purpose you don't get the money.

[HoosierHelen]

Helen,

As in Mike's original post this is a "Grant" I would imagine the City applied for the Grant for a purpose. You can't just use those funds however you wish to. They are for a purpose. If you don't fulfill the purpose you don't get the money.

Armyda,

I do agree with you...a grant is given for a specific purpose and only that purpose. Personally, I am not against the trail being built Perhaps building it will offer some temporary work for some of our unemployed. That would be good. It simply would not have been a priority to me above other needs in our community.

Every time I drive across our local railroad tracks around Auburn, I wish they would hire a few unemployed to fix those. Be nice to see some Grants given to repair our existing infrastructure and bring some much needed jobs to the community.

[Mike_Walter]

1. I posted the legal notice here so that the people who frequently ask me, "Are they still going to build that thing?" will know that the answer, unfortunately, is "Yes."

2. Rails-to-Trails is a fine idea that I've supported since it was first proposed in this area in the 1960s by Carl Vandagriff, General Manager of WOWO, and State Rep. Floyd Coleman of Waterloo. But as the legal notice states, this project is called the "Shared-Use Path along Van Buren and Jackson Street between Wayne Street and North Street." Yes, it's intended to connect to a trail, parts of which are or will be built along the old rail line running from Smith Field in Fort Wayne to Pokagon State Park; but this segment is going to be an 8-foot sidewalk running parallel to existing streets.

3. Yes, it's funded by an 80/20 matching grant under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA or "ICE-T"). It's a pile of money left over from building the Rieke Park Trail; and now, in a stunning bait-and-switch, it's going to be used to "connect" Rieke Park to the A-C-D Museum. If it were entirely our own money being spent, the project would be much more modest. But, hey, this is mostly from Uncle Sugar's Big Pork Barrel. We sure couldn't have given it back now, could we?

4. Well, we might have used the money -- or at least our 20% of it -- to improve bicycle and pedestrian access from Griswold Apartments to Wal-Mart. We might even have used it on part of the old Vandalia Railroad line that runs through the southern part of town. And something surely could have been done with the money to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety along West 15th Street, where I had my famous accident almost three years ago. But no, the Indianapolis bureaucrats apparently would have decided that the federally-funded part of the project had to have "connectivity" to something else grander -- the Pufferbelly!

5. Most of my constituents (although there are a few with a contrary opinion) think that this project is just plain dumb. But it's apparently something they feel willing to live with because only a handful showed up when the project was before the City Council for public review. One outcome of the rather feeble discussion that took place then was that the segment proposed for North Jackson Street was moved to North Van Buren Street. And Mayor Yoder also promised that the Street Department would remove snow from the path in the winter. I wonder how long that promise can be kept?

[nathandiehl]

2. Rails-to-Trails is a fine idea that I've supported since it was first proposed in this area in the 1960s by Carl Vandagriff, General Manager of WOWO, and State Rep. Floyd Coleman of Waterloo. But as the legal notice states, this project is called the "Shared-Use Path along Van Buren and Jackson Street between Wayne Street and North Street." Yes, it's intended to connect to a trail, parts of which are or will be built along the old rail line running from Smith Field in Fort Wayne to Pokagon State Park; but this segment is going to be an 8-foot sidewalk running parallel to existing streets.

I thought the Pufferbelly was supposed to go to Bluffton, not terminate at Smith Field?

On another note, my Grandfather was Floyd Coleman. He was quite the outside-the-box thinker in the legislature, wasn't he? (From what I've read and heard, that is, as he retired from the legislature years before I was born.)

[armyda]

2. Rails-to-Trails is a fine idea that I've supported since it was first proposed in this area in the 1960s by Carl Vandagriff, General Manager of WOWO, and State Rep. Floyd Coleman of Waterloo. But as the legal notice states, this project is called the "Shared-Use Path along Van Buren and Jackson Street between Wayne Street and North Street." Yes, it's intended to connect to a trail, parts of which are or will be built along the old rail line running from Smith Field in Fort Wayne to Pokagon State Park; but this segment is going to be an 8-foot sidewalk running parallel to existing streets.

Haven't most Rails to Trails taken place under Railbanking? Does this mean that you disagree with the Indiana State Supreme Court?

"Under Indiana law, are railbanking and interim trail use pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 1274(d) uses that are within the scope of the easements acquired by the railroad companies either by prescription, condemnation, or the deed at issue; and if either is not within the scope of the easements originally acquired, is railbanking with interim tr[ai]l use a shifting pub-lic use?

Pursuant to Indiana Appellate Rule 64, we accepted the question and now answer both parts in the negative. Under Indiana law, railbanking and interim trail use pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 1274(d) are not uses within the scope of the easements, and railbanking with interim trail use does not constitute a permissible shifting public use."
" Henry L. Howard, et al. v. United States, No. 94S00-1106-CQ-333"

And that you approve of taking peoples property without compensation for a trail, but not putting one in your City.

3. Yes, it's funded by an 80/20 matching grant under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA or "ICE-T").

This is being funded by a bill that expired 15 years ago?

and now, in a stunning bait-and-switch, it's going to be used to "connect" Rieke Park to the A-C-D Museum. If it were entirely our own money being spent, the project would be much more modest. But, hey, this is mostly from Uncle Sugar's Big Pork Barrel. We sure couldn't have given it back now, could we?

Please elaborate on the bait-and-switch.

5. Most of my constituents (although there are a few with a contrary opinion) think that this project is just plain dumb. But it's apparently something they feel willing to live with because only a handful showed up when the project was before the City Council for public review. One outcome of the rather feeble discussion that took place then was that the segment proposed for North Jackson Street was moved to North Van Buren Street. And Mayor Yoder also promised that the Street Department would remove snow from the path in the winter. I wonder how long that promise can be kept?

I think this was covered in the previous topic you created on this subject:

Pedestrian Walkways and Recreational Trailways Master Plan

[Mike_Walter]

I thought the Pufferbelly was supposed to go to Bluffton, not terminate at Smith Field?

On another note, my Grandfather was Floyd Coleman. He was quite the outside-the-box thinker in the legislature, wasn't he? (From what I've read and heard, that is, as he retired from the legislature years before I was born.)

Here's my favorite Floyd Coleman story, although I can't quite remember where I heard it. Readers should be alert to the fact that Floyd was an utterly guileless person, and there's nothing to suggest even a hint of sarcasm or insincerity in what he said:

As a Republican state representative, Floyd showed up at a meeting of the House Democratic caucus. One of the Democrats asked him what he was doing there. His reported response was something like, "I'm thinking about changing." The Democrat's response was something like, "Well, Floyd, if you decide to change, we'll be glad to have you, but this meeting is just for Democrats. You'll have to leave." Of course, he left.

[Mike_Walter]

I thought the Pufferbelly was supposed to go to Bluffton, not terminate at Smith Field?

I dunno, maybe it does. When I drove the route back in 1968 or so, criss-crossing the line, I only went south as far as Smith Field.

Haven't most Rails to Trails taken place under Railbanking? Does this mean that you disagree with the Indiana State Supreme Court?

"Under Indiana law, are railbanking and interim trail use pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 1274(d) uses that are within the scope of the easements acquired by the railroad companies either by prescription, condemnation, or the deed at issue; and if either is not within the scope of the easements originally acquired, is railbanking with interim tr[ai]l use a shifting pub-lic use?

Pursuant to Indiana Appellate Rule 64, we accepted the question and now answer both parts in the negative. Under Indiana law, railbanking and interim trail use pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 1274(d) are not uses within the scope of the easements, and railbanking with interim trail use does not constitute a permissible shifting public use."
" Henry L. Howard, et al. v. United States, No. 94S00-1106-CQ-333"

And that you approve of taking peoples property without compensation for a trail, but not putting one in your City.

I think it's a good idea to convert some of the abandoned rail lines to hiking and biking trails. I have never suggested taking the land without compensating the owners of the underlying fee.

This is being funded by a bill that expired 15 years ago?

Did I get it wrong? Maybe the money's from the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Whether it's ICE-T, SAFE-TEA or ORANGE PEKOE TEA, the money's been collected by Uncle Sugar (SWEET TEA) and doled out the states for projects that they are disinclined to pay for themselves.

Please elaborate on the bait-and-switch.

When people heard "Rieke Park Trail," I don't think that many of them were thinking "South Jackson Street." Moral: Be careful what you apply for, you might get something else.

[nathandiehl]

When people heard "Rieke Park Trail," I don't think that many of them were thinking "South Jackson Street." Moral: Be careful what you apply for, you might get something else.

Are you saying that the city knew all along this was the plan?
If so, that certainly hasn't been reflected in the newspapers. It sure read to me like the plan for the grant was to follow the Pufferbelly's proposed right-of-way on the Jackson-Saginaw RR southward through Auburn, and then due to complications due to continued use of the rail as a functioning rail spur, Auburn needed to change it.

Are you saying KPC got it wrong? (Or possibly I'm mis-remembering?)

[Mike_Walter]

Are you saying that the city knew all along this was the plan?
If so, that certainly hasn't been reflected in the newspapers. It sure read to me like the plan for the grant was to follow the Pufferbelly's proposed right-of-way on the Jackson-Saginaw RR southward through Auburn, and then due to complications due to continued use of the rail as a functioning rail spur, Auburn needed to change it.

Are you saying KPC got it wrong? (Or possibly I'm mis-remembering?)

I don't know what Mayor Yoder might have had in the back of his mind when this started, but nobody said anything about an 8-foot sidewalk along Van Buren and Jackson Streets until after the Rieke Park Trail was finished.

[ARMYMPVET]

Mike
This is at least the third time I have read in your posts making reference to this trail as "an eight foot sidewalk". Federal guidelines for pedestrian / bike trails is eight feet. Following the Federal guidelines for this grant means that the trail MUST be eight feet in width. No less. From the trails inseption, it has always been eight feet. Has ANY city official ever said anything to contradict this? If so; who?