WEBVTT

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be a game change for those

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with knee injuries.

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>> Well, it has been part of

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the Michigan City landscape

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and lore since Abraham Lincoln

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was President. The Indiana

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state prison in Michigan City

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have been inextricably linked,

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but now after more than 160

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years, the prison will be

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closing, part of a series of

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developments once thought

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unlikely now stands to

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transform this LaPorte County

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city and Northwest Indiana.

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>> Hello and welcome to Inside

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INdiana Business, I'm Gerry

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Dick. The recent decision to

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close the Michigan City prison

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and consolidate into a new

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facility in nearby Westville

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is something local residents

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that would probably never

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happen. Similarly, NIPSCO's

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coal plant cooling tower has

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been rather unflattering focus

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of the Michigan City skyline

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for decades, but it too is in

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the process of coming down.

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With the prison and cooling

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tower going away, prime real

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estate is opening up for

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development. This as the

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double tracking of the South

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Shore Rail line, once thought

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just a pipedream, is quickly

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becoming reality. And

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developers aren't waiting for

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the trains to start rolling,

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or than $400 million in

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projects are planned or

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underway in Michigan City and

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Hammond. Friday ground was

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broken for the $240 million

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solo-- SOLA project on

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downtown Michigan City, two

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hotels, condos retail space

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including a grocery store with

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views of Lake Michigan. The

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double tracking and West Lake

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Corridor extension are

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expected to generate an

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additional two and a half-

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billion dollars in additional

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investment in Northwest

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Indiana and Michigan City is

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already grabbing its fair

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share. Our Carley Lanich is

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standing by in South Bend with

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landmark news regarding a

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long-awaited South Shore

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projects. Will get to her in a

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moment but first joining me

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now with some of the

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transformation taking place in

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Michigan City and Northwest

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Indiana, pleased to be joined

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by Northwest Indiana regional

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development Authority CEO

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Sherri Ziller. Sherry, welcome

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to the show. 's become a thank

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you for having me, Gerry, glad

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to be her.

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>> The South Shore has been a

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long-awaited project,

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certainly the double tracking

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in the West Lake extension,

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those things becoming a

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reality but as you and I

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talked earlier developers

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aren't waiting for the trains

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to roll they are investing in

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a big way and Northwest

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Indiana, $400 million in

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projects planned or in the

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works in both Michigan City

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and Hammond.

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>> Yeah, that's absolutely

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correct. And some of our

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communities such as Michigan

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City and Hammond, they are

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seeing just a big boom in

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development right now, they

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have a lot of projects going

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on and it's fantastic to see

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so many opportunities popping

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up in the region. And Gerry,

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right now it's honestly a

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reflection of years of work

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put in by different groups

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here, for example Gerry,

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Indiana, you have the DK

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doubles with the Union

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Station, they are a volunteer

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group making abandoned spaces

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usable again. They did that

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all on their own to the point

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where they attracted an

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investor to turn it into an

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attraction. In the development

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officials, they lobbied for

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officials years on the project

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and they are finally becoming

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a reality, to relocate the

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prison, open that space up for

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development. So, lots of

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opportunities there.

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>> When you talk of doubt the

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prison, and that going away,

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the cooling tower, the NIPSCO

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cooling tower, that opens up

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really prime opportunities

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from a real estate standpoint,

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do you think this is a bit of

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a tipping point if you will

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for Michigan City in

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particular in terms of what is

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and what will be in Michigan

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City Indiana?

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>> Absolutely, Gerry. That

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prison, it's a large site, it

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can fit some much-needed

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affordable housing, senior

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housing, workforce housing,

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along with necessary retail

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and office space that Michigan

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City is seeking. You know,

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this could serve as a major

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job generator for Michigan

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City, and like you said, this

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follows along with that

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announcement from NIPSCO with

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the closing of their

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coal-fired generating plant in

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Michigan City, so the

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decommissioning of the

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Michigan City prison, that

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NIPSCO power plant, it really

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provides the transformative

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Trinity for Michigan City to

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really reclaim a significant

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portion of that lakefront.

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>> Want to get to a soundbite

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from Tom Dakich one of the

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people involved in the SOLA

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project, ground breaking on

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Friday, a couple hotels and

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condos, retail space in

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downtown Michigan City a mi he

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tells me that developers

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outside of Indiana are giving

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Michigan City a look. Here's

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what he said.

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>> A bunch of Chicago

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developers and money people

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from New York and Tampa for

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some reason have looked at

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Michigan City, identified and

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seen a hidden gem there. A

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easy way to say it is, the

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Michigan City gets open not

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because of double tracking,

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but all these-- a bunch of my

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friends to be honest from

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Chicago looked at this and

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said this place rocks.

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>> This place rocks, Sherry,

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as we only have about 30

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seconds left, not to overstate

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it but is this really Michigan

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City's time and more broadly

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Northwest Indiana's time?

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>> Time is exactly right,

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Michigan City is poised for

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development, it's been very

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encouraging to watch them and

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other communities really take

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advantage of the realignment

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and expansion of the rail

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project 's, all the

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development that's coming

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along with that here in

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Northwest Indiana.