Council members respond after Thursday’s listening session
Taylor
Sitting in the front of Noblesville’s council chamber room on Thursday at the Nickel Plate listening session were Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Hamilton County Commissioners Steve Dillinger, Christine Altman and Mark Heirbrandt. All of those, except Dillinger, stood together last month to announce plans to abandon the Nickel Plate Railway and convert it into a trail.
Sitting in the crowd of nearly 400 were members of the Noblesville Common Council, the people that will vote on funding a portion of the plan announced by the mayors and commissioners.
The day following the listening session council members began providing their initial response to what they heard the people saying.
Noblesville Councilman Rick Taylor, a lifelong Noblesville resident who represents District 6, an area the Nickel Plate Railway runs through stated, “As a sitting Council member I represent Old Town residents. I am disappointed that the City, Fishers and the County for having discussions to remove the Nickel Plate Rails. I think they got the
Wiles
cart before the horse. Public meetings should have taken place before any discussion transpired to remove them. This is part of Noblesville’s history and it shouldn’t be removed.”
Taylor also expressed his disappointment in the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority and the Indiana Train museum.
“I will not support any part of removing these tracks but would support both a trail along the tracks,” Taylor said. “The City and County should be meeting with both the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority and the Indiana Transportation Museum to see how we fix the problems and get the train rolling again with public safety in mind. The City of Noblesville needs to worry about priorities we already have without creating new ones.”
Noblesville Council President Megan Wiles told The Reporter, “The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority is the body that will make the decision as to the future of the corridor.”
Noblesville council members would approve or deny funding of the city’s portion of the expense to convert the railway into a trail. Wiles said no proposal has been brought in
Rowland
front of the council yet.
The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority was formed in 1994-1995 to purchase 37 miles of railroad running from Tipton to downtown Indianapolis. The Port Authority represents Fishers, Noblesville, and Hamilton County; it provides oversight and maintenance of the line.
“I’m still in the ‘listening’ mode in all of this,” council member Wil Hampton said. “I was really impressed with the turnout Thursday and understand the passion for the railroad. My grandfather worked for the railroad for more than 50 years. A lot has to happen before this hits the council desk, so I’m listening, gathering information and working towards what will be the best solution for Noblesville and especially the people who live here.”
Hearing the voices of the people was a theme among leaders who spoke to The Reporter.
“What I heard Thursday was the train is our history and our tradition,” councilwoman Mary Sue Rowland said. “With 82 miles of trail already in place with some connections
Hampton
needed, does Noblesville have to be like everyone else? Let’s stop chasing the shiny objects. Noblesville’s master plan says nothing about the current idea presented by Fishers and Noblesville. Pulling the rails has been part of Fishers master plan for two years. Noblesville seems to have just discovered the Fishers plan and joined the club. Rails WITH trails is my option. It can be done and many of the details flying around simply need to be revisited.”
At the request of the Hamilton County Reporter, the City of Noblesville issued the following response after Thursday’s meeting: “Since the announcement was made, Noblesville and Fishers officials have been receiving questions and comments from the community. At our listening session alone last night we estimate that 416 were in attendance so we will need time to review the feedback we’ve been collecting from residents. We look forward to continuing this discussion and updating the public when we have more information to share.”