Majority opposes I-69

Seven members of the Blomington City Council released a letter Friday they sent to Governor O'Bannon opposing construction of the I-69 interstate through Bloomington. \nThe letter says that Bloomington "offers a high, special quality of life that I-69 threatens to diminish."\nAmong other concerns, the letter addresses the number of homes and businesses that would be lost if the highway is built through Bloomington, naming the Oliver Winery on SR 37 as an example. \nFirst proposed in 1999, the idea behind the highway is to connect Indianapolis and Evansville. A number of different routes have been proposed for the highway, some of which would pass through Monroe County.\nThe letter was made available to the public at a press conference Friday, which was led by Council President Chris Gaal and Andy Ruff. Council members Patricia Cole and Jeffrey Willsey were also at the Friday meeting to speak against construction of the highway near or through Bloomington.\n"There is an irreducible link between the character of a town and its economic vitality," Willsey said at the press conference. "But those that want to route I-69 though Bloomington don't understand that link." \nGaal also made a connection between Bloomington's attributes vis-à-vis other cities in Indiana and economic development, saying that the city's "comparative economic advantage to attract jobs and investment is our unique quality of life and the attractiveness of our community."\nBesides the four council members mentioned above, Anthony Pizzo, Tim Mayer and Mike Diekhoff also signed the letter. All seven signatories are Democrats. \nJason Banach and David Sabbagh, the two Republicans on the Council, did not sign the letter. Both, however, were in attendance at the press conference Friday. \n"With all due respect, this is not a vote; it's a letter. We stand by our stance on I-69. We stand with our mayor," Banach said, referring to the support that Mayor John Fernandez, a Democrat, has offered for a route near Bloomington. \nBanach said the road should be built somewhere near Bloomington, though he did not specify if it should come through the city or not. Sabbagh, meanwhile, supports construction along SR 67 and 57, part of "total corridor planning" that would include laying new fiber optic cable so rural counties could access high speed internet connections and other services.\nBesides serving as councilman, Sabbagh is the Republican candidate for State House District 60 against Democratic incumbent Peggy Welch. He said his position on the highway has been the same since 1999, when the idea was first floated.\n"We can open the southwest rural counties to technologies. We need to think about the entire southwest district, not just Bloomington," Sabbagh said. "The letter represents an anti I-69 position or an 70/41 position. I don't think either of those are possible."\nRecommended in the letter sent to Governor O'Bannon, the 70/41 route would be built along I-70 west and over SR 41, along the western edge of the state. This route would not pass through Monroe County. \nThose against a route near Bloomington want to upgrade existing roads that serve the area, including SR 37, 45 and 46.