The Porter County Board of Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved an agreement and $6.5 million bond with G&L Corp. for transport of a superload of transformers intended for the Hobart data center across county roads, though many residents and one business owner along the proposed route spoke against the plan.
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The proposal calls for 350 tons of transformers to be hauled from NIPSCO yards along Montdale Park Drive, County Road 325 E, Division Road, Smoke Road, U.S. 30 and Joliet Road to the Lake County line. The agreement is not the granting of the necessary permit, which has yet to be applied for and cannot be granted without the agreement in place, but guarantees protections for the county should any roads or infrastructure be damaged during transport.
County development and stormwater management department staff explained, should a permit be granted, that a video will be taken of the route’s condition pre-haul and then an assessment done after to determine if any damage was sustained.
“They don’t get that money back until we release that bond,” said Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North.
His department was asked if letters would go out to homeowners and businesses along the route to notify them of the passage date if approved. County Highway Engineer Martin Bobcek said display boards would be posted along the route, but letters are not required.
“We will process the permit with our own standards in our office,” said Planning and Storm Water Management Executive Director Mike Jabo. “We will not appear again before you.”
Jim Smith, who lives on Joliet Road, said the road is only 20 feet wide, in very poor condition, has two-inch pieces of asphalt missing, and has no shoulders. He was concerned about a fiber optic cable he said runs along the south side of the road being crushed in the transport.
“It’s not a very good route,” he added. “It does seem there are alternative routes that provide better access.”
Bobcek said repairs to such defects as potholes would be made before the transport and again after, and that drainage can be immediately evaluated after the haul.
Commission President Ed Morales, R-South, asked where the load was ending up and was told 10th Street in Hobart. Commission Vice President Barb Regnitz, R-Center, asked why Joliet Street was chosen for the route and Jabo said many factors go into selecting such a route, and that advising engineers for G&L would have selected the route with the least amount of obstacles.
“This is going to be a teaching experience,” added Biggs. “We’ve never had to deal with a situation like this.” Jabo, Bobcek, and County Attorney Scott McClure assured them the process is common enough and well-vetted.
“We’ve never had to pull up a bond,” Bobcek said. “The last thing they want is a bond being called up on their corporate record, because that would make it difficult to get in future,” McClure added.
In a phone call later Tuesday, Jabo explained that should any road repairs be required, a one- to two-year maintenance bond would be given to the county by G&L to draw from to pay for repairs.
Residents of the area were unconvinced. Joseph Larson said he understood it wasn’t the purview of the commission to delve into the proposed route, “but you do have common sense. That box culvert is as old as God’s parents,” he added of infrastructure on site.
Two men from G&L Corp., Trevor Street and Kevin Gillian, stood up to address the commission and the residents, including a resident who said a call to the company went unreturned. “So I do apologize for not returning that call, but I was requested not to,” Street said.
Biggs said he appreciated their presence, but not that NIPSCO, the installer of the transformers at their final destination, failed to attend.
“As far as looking for another route, we have exhausted every option for getting these there,” Street said.
Biggs attempted to reassure the neighbors, including a business owner.
“If there were any real chance of them damaging your business, I would be up here saying, ‘No,’” he said. He said G&L satisfied the criteria and the board has to have a really good reason to say no. “We’re not just going to abandon you. You’re going to be made whole.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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