Supporters of preserving the Nickel Plate Rail stood outside Noblesville City Hall Thursday evening displaying banners and signs
The second, of two, listening sessions on the proposed conversion of the Nickel Plate Railway into a trail was conducted at Noblesville City Hall on Thursday evening.
The event drew a standing room only crowd in Noblesville Council Chambers comprised mostly of railway supporters.
Noblesville Deputy Mayor Steve Cooke stated in his opening comments, “I know a lot of emotions are running high, but I hope we can all take a moment for a good discussion.”
If Cooke, Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Hamilton County Commissioners Mark Heirbrandt, Steve Dillinger and Christine Altman were listening to the discussion they heard overwhelmingly that area residents want the railway preserved.
A total of seventeen people were provided two minutes each to express their opinions. The most emotional speaker of the group was 12-year old Austin Miller. Miller made a tearful plea to government leaders to keep the Nickel Plate as a railway. Miller received a standing ovation from the crowd at the conclusion of his presentation.
Of the seventeen speakers, only one, a Marion County resident, supported the idea of converting the railway into a trail.
Cooke outlined the benefits of converting the railway into a trail. He expected the trail would spur economic growth with 250,000 users per year accessing the trail in Fishers and Noblesville. Cooke also stated the converting the Nickel Plate into a trail would increase surrounding property values.
Cooke explained to the crowd that combining the railway with a trail created problems. “The Federal Highway Administration recommends the average corridor width to fit both rail and trail be 126 feet with the trail averaging 8 to 10 feet.” The existing right-of-way of the Nickel Plate corridor measures 50 feet on average.” Noblesville officials stated the option of safely combining rail and trail is not feasible due to the substantial increase in costs to pay for right-of-way, property acquisitions and bridge widening. Cooke also stated trains would be a burden to downtown Noblesville traffic.
Community leaders are encouraging area residents and business owners to provide comments, ask questions or request a meeting with Fishers and Noblesville staff via email at NPT@fishers.in.us or NPT@noblesville.in.us.