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SYRACUSE - If the proposal to relocate Eli Lilly Road, Syracuse, was a rumor before, it's not now.
"From the commissioners' standpoint, there is a proposal to relocate the road, but there has been no formal proposal," said Kosciusko County commissioner president Brad Jackson.
He said two options are being proposed for consideration but it's in the early stages. For the old road to be vacated and the new road to be built, the petitioners must get approval from the county commissioners, Jackson said.
"First of all," said Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson, "nothing's been decided. The county is not involved at this point, other than on a preliminary basis."
He said a man is willing to pay for the road and right-of-way relocation at no cost to the county.
In option A, Ladson said, a new road would be constructed from Warner to Bishop Road, just south of the railroad crossing. The existing Eli Lilly Road would be closed and the county maintenance vacated. Residents would still be able to travel on the old road, but the county would no longer maintain it, Ladson said. It would be privately maintained.
Under option B, Ladson said, a road would be built in the middle of Eli Lilly Road and would travel north to the railroad, stopping at Bishop Road.
Ladson said, "Option A is the (petitioner's) preference."
As for whether the county would approve the relocation, Ladson said, "Right now, all the details are not in, so it's too early to make a decision." He said the proposal, once formally submitted, will be investigated, but nothing has been formally presented to the county yet.
He said he has told the petitioner any conflicts should be resolved before it's brought before the county.
"The county wants them to work out any details with the neighbors and come to the county with the proposal," Ladson said.
Phil Beer II, with USI Consultants Inc., Indianapolis, is working with the petitioners on the preliminary proposal. Though he would not confirm it, there is some speculation that his clients include Peter and Ginny Nicholas. He refused to name the petitioner.
He did say, "There are specific reasons, a number of them being to eliminate or reduce the amount of traffic in front of the parcels at the lakefront." Other reasons, he said, include minimizing the amount of development, reduce the housing going in and reducing the environmental impact to Lake Wawasee and the area's watershed.
"Moving it further from the lake would be a benefit," Beer said. There's also a safety concern about the road because it's not up to current standards.
As for Eli Lilly Road, Beer said, "That's open to discussion. Right now the county has said ... they'd like to see the existing road become a private street." However, they are open to suggestions, he said.
The approximate cost of constructing the new road, he said, is $1.5 to $2 million, and, he said, the petitioner would pay the complete cost himself.
"This is just a beginning proposal for all the affected landowners," Beer said. The time frame, if all falls into place, he said, would be a slow one and would not happen for "a couple of years."
Neighbors, he said, have given their input on the relocation on both sides (positive and negative). They are gathering that input for consideration.
"... By no means is our client going to force this," Beer said today.
