With more than 11,000 supporters, local citizen action group Save the Nickel Plate will make a major announcement regarding legal action filed against the cities of Fishers, Noblesville and Hamilton County at 10 a.m. this morning during a rally and news conference in the North Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse.
Citizens from Noblesville, Fishers, Hamilton County and Indianapolis will gather to urge lawmakers to support investigating plans for the Nickel Plate Trail during the rally, as well as announce details of legal action.
Earlier this month, State Representative Cindy Kirchhofer, and State Senator Michael Crider sent letters urging Indiana Council Members to investigate the conversion of the Nickel Plate Railroad to a walking/biking trail. Subsequently, state lawmakers also wrote letters to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which is currently considering whether to allow trail use in place of the railroad.
Sen. Crider, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee, wrote a letter to the STB urging them to put “emphasis on restoring rail use” as they consider their decision.
Indianapolis City-County Councilman Jared Evans also wrote to the STB, requesting that they suspend the proceeding.
Speakers anticipated to speak and available for interview during the rally include:
- Tyler Mendenhall, President of Save the Nickel Plate, Inc.
- Logan Day, Spokesperson for Save the Nickel Plate, Inc.
- Terry Tolliver, Attorney, Brattain Minnix Garcia
- Mike Corbett, Editor and Publisher of Hamilton County Business Magazine
- Mike Bowen, resident of Noblesville
- Richard Vonnegut, Founder of Hoosier Rails-to-Trails Council, Inc.
- Todd Embree, Owner of Gravis E-Bikes
- Bill Malcolm, member of Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance
- Kyle Kinnett, CEO of Bullseye Event Group
We fully support this effort and demand the officials in both Noblesville and Fishers be held accountable for completely ignoring the wishes of the very people who elected them. We have many friends in Fishers who are absolutely furious about how they have been treated by Scott Fadness and his cronies, not just about the Nickel Plate fiasco, but the creation of a public eyesore and traffic nightmare in downtown Fishers, that was made possible by horrible planning and personal greed by our local mayors offices. See you at the next election!!!