by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
Bids will be taken June 28 by the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority on removal and sale of the Nickel Plate rails, thus marking the beginning of the end of the railroad between downtown Noblesville and Indianapolis. The port authority is owned by Hamilton County and the cities of Noblesville and Fishers.
Removal of the rails and railroad ties is the first step toward converting the rail right-of-way to a pedestrian and bike trail. The railroad south of Noblesville has not been used for train traffic for several years, and its future has been the subject of a long-running debate between the port authority and groups that wanted to preserve the rail line.
City and county officials met Monday to discuss the rail removal process and division of proceeds from the sale of the hundreds of tons of scrap iron and wooden ties estimated at around $2 million. But, the cost of removal and repair of dozens of streets the railroad crosses is unknown until bids are received.
The Nickel Plate north from Noblesville to Tipton will remain an active line for excursion trains operated by the Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad. The railroad was built in 1851 and was key to the development of communities through which it passed. Commercial use of the line ended in the 1990s and was taken over by the port authority, created to save the railroad from abandonment.
Monday’s meeting, following a regular county commissioner session, was called a work session where no final decisions were made. Other matters of mutual concern were also considered, including an update on the State Road 37 upgrading project now getting underway through city and county jurisdictions.
Also considered was Noblesville’s plan to improve Seminary Park with facilities accessible under the Americans With Disabilities Act., better lighting, sidewalks and signage.
These officials need to be held accountable. Draw up a timeline, connect the dots and you will be astounded at what you find. Self serving interest’s, and massive deception, not to mention a major conflict of interest. We are selling our Fishers home, and fleeing this town and county of corruption.
Fishers, Noblesville and Hamilton County residents are now the laughing stock of the country now that this has gone national. They have been hoodwinked by the very people they elected and are about to loose a unique, irreplaceable asset few communities have, but would love to. Those that still do have invested heavily with huge results. These residents should be ashamed of themselves for being so easily fooled by their elected officials deceit. Isn’t it interesting how many homes along the line have suddenly come up for sale?
FADNESS THE FRAUD! 185 year old historic asset about to disappear due to personal and developer greed and payoffs . Only in America could people be this complacent, and so easily manipulated. Very sad times indeed.
I am very excited for the walking and bike trail as are many other Fishers residents. I am glad that our elected officials didn’t concede to a small but vocal opposition, many of who do not even reside in Fishers.
I would remind those who oppose this progress that in the most recent primary election, the incumbents won by an overwhelming majority. This issue was made a focal point of the Mayoral election and therefore Mayor Fadness has received a clear mandate to move forward.
For over 20 years the Monon Trail has proven resident love these types of amenities in the their community and they get a lot of use. It is exciting that Fishers will be adding such a great community asset that many people can use for years to come.
Why on earth you would want complete and total strangers in this day and age, literally steps away from our precious children, wandering aimlessly at all hours on who knows what substance is pathetic and the ultimate in greed. Did you ever consider what life will be like for those of us who have to live along this debacle? Plenty of places to walk and ride a bike in the area without allowing the blight of Indianapolis to reach our backdoor.