In a statement to the Post-Tribune, School City of Hammond Superintendent Scott Miller avoided taking an explicit stand on which approach the city should take. “I’m very impressed with what you did,” he told Batta. Sixth District Councilman Scott Rakos lauded the plan for only requiring the relocation of two Hammond residents. “Granted, the few kids that are still walking to school, they’ll either have to walk up around the new bridge - which is out of their way, I acknowledge - or they’ll be stuck waiting like they are currently, but for all the parents who drive their kids to school, for the kids who take their bike, this is a legitimate detour that’ll get you where you need to be.”Ī handful of city officials joined McDermott in voicing support for the plan during the meeting. “I’ve heard people say that we need to do more, but I think this is going to take care of 90% of the problem,” he told the Post-Tribune. Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott has staunchly backed the overpass proposal, though he acknowledged that it is not an ideal solution for the children currently clambering across stopped trains. Other speakers put forward proposals Ken Edwards, the State Legislative Director for SMART Transportation - the country’s largest rail worker union - told attendees that lobbying for legal restrictions on the length of trains could help solve the city’s blockage problem, receiving a round of applause. “If I was still back in school, I would be doing the same stupid stuff,” he said. John Ratajczak, a lifelong Hammond resident, said that he often made the dangerous decision to climb across stopped trains as a child, and doesn’t see the proposed overpass as a way to help today’s kids stay safe. “The kid will still pop the trains,” T.J. Opponents of the Governors Parkway proposal took issue with its seeming failure to prioritize pedestrian access to schools - pointing out that some students walking north to Scott and Hess Elementary will have to trek as much as two miles out of their way in order to use the new overpass while a train is blocking other routes. Batta told the Post-Tribune that “all alternatives are still in play,” including the other plans considered by the company and other solutions that are suggested during the public comment process, which will remain ongoing until May 26.ĭuring over two hours of public testimony, speakers voiced disagreements over the plan and proposed an array of alternative solutions.
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