Armstrong Comments from Public Meeting regarding the Milton/Madison Bridge Project
Good evening and thank you. It is exciting to see the interest by your presence this evening.
People in our combined community have a choice to demonstrate their support and opinions which will ultimately be judged by:
- Federal Highway Administration
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
- Indiana Department of Transportation
Ultimately the decision will be made by them. This is a public hearing and not a decision making meeting. It is a part of the federal process-just like all of the other meetings you have attended or read about.
The points of my comments tonight are to:
- Urge our combined community to support the current bridge proposed action
- Take politics out of the decision-making process
- Look to the future by further strengthening the ties between Milton and Madison, and Kentucky and Indiana
As a process this has been characterized by some as flawed.
There are areas of contention:
- Credibility of the process for this proposed action
My Response: Numerous public meetings have been held and minutes of these meetings have been posted on the website. - Timing of when the TIGER Grant surfaced in this process
My Response: The rapidly deteriorating condition of the bridge demanded a more rapid solution. Knowledge of the TIGER Grant was discovered on May 15th, and word was received that both states were exploring in on June 29th after due diligence they decided to pursue it on August 12th. With a deadline of September 15th for submission of the grant application, the selection process had to be accelerated. The decision was made to pursue the super structure replacement based upon:
- States lack of funding
- a life span of the current bridge of less than 10 years
- and the solution that requires no acquisition of property
- Roles of individuals in "back behind the scenes" negotiating
My Response: It is perfectly normal and accepted practice for federal, state and local governmental officials to communicate by virtue of their positions and in helping to determine realistic outcomes based upon resources and capabilities. Many leaders from both states support this project:
- U.S. Representative Geoff Davis
- Governor Steve Beshear
- State Senator Ernie Harris
- Kentucky State Representative Rick Rand
- Judge Executive Randy Stevens
- Mayor Donnie Oakley
- United States Senator Richard Lugar
- United States Senator Evan Bayh
- United States Congressman Baron Hill
- Governor Mitch Daniels
- Indiana State Senator Jim Lewis
- Indiana State Representative David Cheatham
- Jefferson County Board of Commissioners
- City of Madison Common Council
- Former Mayor of Madison Al Huntington
- Former Mayor of Madison and Former State Rep. Markt Lytle
Former long-term Mayor Huntington sends his regrets for not being able to attend and speak to you of his support for this proposed action.
Please join me to show that we can join together for a greater cause, overcome misinformation and demonstrate to the governmental agencies that the image of our combined community project is one that respects the federal process that we are going through and most importantly the decision-makers.
In the 1800s, our combined community went to sleep because of floods, the end of the steamboat era, and the arrival of the railroads put us unto an economic slumber for over a century.
Today, our challenge isn't railroads, it's our ability to clearly see the goal that can be clouded by petty and political issues. The ability to secure almost $100 million dollars in federal stimulus funds is a one-time occurrence.
Please, let us not jeopardize this unique opportunity.
