Former Plymouth City Councilman and County Commissioner Mike Delp spoke to the Plymouth City Council Monday evening about the Veterans Parkway Extension project.
Delp said, “After your meeting of September 27th and reading about your vote to deny pursuing funding for the Veterans Parkway Extension, your decision has been on my mind quite a bit.” He said it has been the hot topic of the morning coffee table. He said the group talks about local sports, college and pro sports and local topics.
Mr. Delp said the group is an eclectic gathering of 2 former construction business owners, a vet, an upper management individual from NIPSCO, others in sales and have lived in Plymouth nearly all or all their lives in the city of Plymouth. He said the group just can’t understand the NO vote.
Last week Mr. Delp said he made some phone calls to get some other perspective on the project other than the coffee group. He talked with two major realtor who own their businesses, someone from major industry, a leader executive, a large employer in the city, a civic minded person, a doctor who has a major complex on the west side of town, a long-term family auto repair business, a former sheriff and now a county council member, a city department head and Mayor Senter and City Attorney Sean Surrisi.
While he didn’t use their names, Delp said, “These are people invested for many, many years here in the City of Plymouth.” It seems that these people cannot understand turning the project down especially when INDOT was willing to fund 80% of the project, when TIF #3 would have fully funded the city’s share and still be able to fund the other projects in that TIF District, the wetland mitigation is already complete for the entire length of the project, and the project has been favorably talked about by former mayors and councilmembers. Mr. Delp went on saying that he was a member of the US 30 freeway project and that major undertaking will be happening on US 30 in Plymouth in the future, we already have Oakhill Extension, Glenn Overmyer Drive and Pioneer Drive skirting around the city. Delp said, “I’m thankful for those forward-thinking people at the time knowing that we needed to be able to get around the south and west side of Plymouth.
Mike Delp said this city council has already voted favorably on this project not too long ago. He said, “Tough decisions have to be made sometimes. I’ve been there and I’ve made those types of decisions. I do respect the job each of you do for the citizens of Plymouth but I and many others in this community need to hear from you and to try and understand your thought process and decision making rational.
Mr. Delp apologized that he didn’t come to the meeting because he thought it was a “done deal.” I might not have changed your mind but I would have expressed my ideas that night.”
He asked those who voted no to explain their reasons. With no comment Mike Delp asked them to respond to him personally after the meeting.
No comments were made by City Council members on their vote decision.
