The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page A17

INDY STAR INDY SUNDAY 1ST 2015 17A FORWARD INDIANA DUELING CAR TOONISTS Mike Luckovich The Atlanta 7 Gary Varvel The Indianapolis 7 Mayor: Time is now for Justice Center It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied. The same could prove rue about the Marion County Justice omplex project, which is now in the ands of the City-County Council. uring my administration, we have stablished a tremendous track record of working with the council to tackle big projects that have been kicked down the road for 20 or 30 years. In doing so, we have stripped undue political influence out of the most basic city services, and we have protected taxpayers for decades to come. Our water and wastewater systems were highly politicized and broken.

We took on the challenge, first by renegotiating the existing EPA Consent Decree, saving ratepayers more than 800 million and carrying out one of the most important environmental projects. We subsequently transferred water and wastewater assets for $1.9 billion to Citizens Energy Group a move that is saving ratepayers millions annually beyond original projections and has provided record-levels of investment in infrastructure through RebuildIndy. Prior to RebuildIndy, the city repaired on-average one or two bridges annually. During a year period, RebuidIndy resulted in repair work on 60 bridges, road resurfacing throughout all parts of he city, sidewalk repair, and construction of new trails and bike lanes. This investment in neighborhoods combined with new mobility and connectivity ptions are drawing millennials and seniors into the city at a rate not seen in ecades.

Parking meters were another broken, ighly politicized system. Together, with the council, we took on this challenge a nd created ParkIndy a P3 partnership that has grown parking met er revenue from $330,000 in 2010 to $3.3 illion in 2014. And unlike other cities hat opted to fix their parking systems by negotiating an upfront, one-time payment, Indianapolis created a revenue stream for future councils and mayo ral administrations to direct. have proven that we know how to ake on big challenges and address them in a way that results in enormous savings and efficiencies. The Justice Center is the next big fix, and after more than two years of work based on firm commitments from all of the takeholders, now is the time to get this deal done so that future mayors, future ouncils and future generations of residents are not burdened with it.

Some have suggested that this project should be delayed until after the oming mayoral election, but calls to put this project back in the political arena at his point indicate a willingness to sacrifice the long-term financial health and public safety in exchange for short- term political gain. Make no mistake: elaying this project likely will kill it. If it somehow survives, the same project will cost hundreds of millions of dollars more and be full of political patronage. We approached this project from day one in a genuine spirit of partnership with our stakeholders the sheriff, courts, council, prosecutor and public defender. We all agreed, and we signed an MOU affirming our commitment to move forward.

Together, we engaged in acompetitive bid process. Together, we elected a winning bid team. Twice, all of the project stakeholders unanimously agreed to move forward in this direct ion, with this bid, using this P3 delivery model. The project has been public, open, transparent, and collaborative, a nd stakeholders have been engaged throughout the project, with more than 240 briefings and public meetings. hy would we invest so much time and energy in one project? Because our urrent system is inherently unsafe.

For ore than 30 years, Indianapolis has needed a new jail and space for our courts. Inefficient, failing facilities threaten our public safety and carry a hefty annual operating price tag of more than $50 million a number that will only rise in coming years with inflation and continued deterioration of physical a ssets. After decades of controversy that have included Federal court oversight and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the court and jail systems, a omprehensive solution to our justice inadequacies is within our ision and our grasp. After two years of study by all stakeholders and a yearlong ompetitive procurement process, we have a hard, committed bid in place to ix these ills. And as the City-County Council debates the proposed justice omplex, taxpayers should demand that a ll political baggage be checked at the oor.

Those who have tracked the Justice Center since its inception know that procedural delays have already blocked axpayers from receiving at least $1.5 illion in annual savings for the life of he project because of lower interest rates. In total, $52.5 million we could have used to help fund IMPD officers or Pre-K education for low- income children. Doing nothing carries an even higher price tag. Operations osts will begin to accelerate in 2016 due to critical Jail I repairs, and that trajec- ory will saddle taxpayers with as much as $860 million in annual expenditures by 2050. Backing away from the bid now also places the reputation of the city at isk.

At a time when P3s are becoming widely accepted as the way to address egacy infrastructure problems, the Justice Center project has drawn international attention. Who, in the future, will want to work with a city that walks a way from a high-quality, committed bid? By all means, the council should ask tough questions and verify the financial calculations. But those advocating delay should bear the burden of proof to show that they have an alternative plan, and that they can deliver. It is an injustice to taxpayers to delay for the sake of politics. Gregory A.

Ballard Mayor, Indianapolis Advanced Recycling Center is good for Indianapolis disappointing to see a statewide organization that exists to support recycling continue to spread misinformation a bout the new Covanta Advanced Recycling Center project in Indianapolis. But, clearly this is the intent of the India na Recycling Coalition in its recent letter to The Indianapolis Star. The uestion is why? I its mission statement, the IRC states that its goal is to support policies that our natural resources, reduce energy use, encourage environmental responsibility and create green jobs through What the IRC does not want Indy residents to know is that, once completed, the Covanta Adv anced Recycling Center will in fact: 1. Conserve our natural resources by immediately increasing recycling by five times the current rate and recover- i ng up to 80-90 percent of valuable resources such as recyclable paper, card- oard, plastics and metals. 2.

Reduce energy use when recy- led into new products, the materials recovered will save the equivalent of he annual energy use of more than 20,000 homes. 3 Encourage environmental respon- ibility saving greenhouse gas emis- ions equivalent to pulling 40,000 cars off the road every year. 4. Create green jobs through recycling by putting 70 Hoosiers to work uring construction and creating 60 ocal full-time, green jobs once the facil- i ty is operational. Covanta would not invest $45 million into building the Advanced Recycling Center if the intention was to burn the material.

That simply make any business sense. The company has every i ncentive to ensure the recyclable materials that are recovered meet the eeds of valued manufacturing customers. And those remaining materials not able to be recycled will generate renewable steam energy through the Covanta nergy-from-Waste facility. The company continues to seek out- ets for glass, the recovery of which is not possible because there is currently no economically viable outlet. However, plans for the Advanced Recycling Cent er allow for the addition of a glass line, and the company has pledged to work toward glass recovery in the near future.

Meanwhile, this project will immediately advance sustainable materials management in Indianapolis by leaps and bounds at no cost to the taxpayer without relying on grants and loans that could disappear and leave taxpayers to pick up the tab. Despite scare tactics about inancial penalties, under the current contract extension, taxpayers will pay nothing for recycling no matter how uch waste the city delivers to Covanta, leaving the company to shoulder 100 percent of the risk. why is the IRC opposing this project and spreading false information with nothing to back it up? We believe he coalition has been misled by companies that want recyclables for heir own recycling operations, and as a esult, are now misleading the public. We believe it boils down to business competition not about the right or wrong way to recycle. Some of the very same paper companies that have publically opposed Co- plan to increase recycling in Indiana have purchased recycled fiber rom a similar facility in Montgomery, owned and operated by Infinitus Energy, and the purchasing company has never rejected the material for uality reasons or any other reason.

In fact, the company has paid Infinitus nergy above-market rates for this material. Meanwhile, Covanta has lined multinational and local recycling firms that are ready to buy the paper, etal and plastics that will be separated at its Advanced Recycling Center. he IRC may choose to ignore these acts, but Indianapolis residents need to now the truth. The technology behind the Covanta Advanced Recycling Center is not different. And after decades of struggling to increase recy- ling, time to try something new.

The A dvanced Recycling Center is an import ant investment in future and will make real progress in dramatically increasing recycling, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Scott Holkeboer Market Area Vice President Covanta Indianapolis Kyle Mowitz Chief Executive Infinitus Energy, Montgomery, AL Indiana Catholic Bishops a nd the culture wars For several years, the Indiana Catholic Bishops, using a paid lobbyist, have funded efforts to eliminate access to birth control, amend the India na Constitution to prohibit gay marriage, and most recently, legalize discrimination of Hoosier LBGTs in the public marketplace. Here are the results of your efforts: Birth control access is guaranteed by the ACA, Indiana law recognizes gay marriages, and the LBGT discrimination is now illegal. The picture of Catholic religious standing with Micah Clark, Curt Smith and Eric Miller at the RFRA igning ceremony was truly and scandalous. Instead of making a statement about Catholic val- es, you have made Hoosier Catholics appear to be mean-spirited and out of touch with our fellow Hoosiers.

ith respect, Indiana bishops need to stop participating in the culture wars. Remember Pope words, a I to Michael McAninch Westfield LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RENDERING PROVIDED BY SKIDMORE An April 20 vote looms on plans for the $1.75 billion Marion County Justice Center, to be built on the site of the old GM Stamping Plant..