Ardmore neighborhood honing in on one re-route alternative

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Ardmore neighbors are still rallying their troops months after a small victory with the South Bend Common Council, which ensured the city would study alternate locations for the South Shore Line re-route. This group is honing in on one.

The regular group that meets at the Ardmore Church of Christ hosted its first meeting of the new year Friday night.

It was the same message--

"We don't want them to come right down my street with that train. That's eliminating 40 to 60 homes!"

--but with a more positive spin.

"I'd say we're 75% of the way there," said the group's leader, Richard Collins.

Collins says that because the Common Council passed a resolution back in September, prompting the city to study four other options to re-routing the South Shore line through their neighborhood.

One would run downtown along an existing freight line to Union Station.

The second would be on property the South Bend Chocolate Factory purchased near US 20 and US 31.

The third option would expand the existing Amtrak station at Washington and Meade Streets.

The fourth would mean building a new station at the Honeywell plant near Westmoor Street. 

These neighbors seem to agree on a favorite.

“I prefer they put it at the Honeywell, plant, yeah, because there are no homes to take down. The track is right there," said Marie Clark, who lives in the neighborhood.

"It would bring revenue to the city, so that would be a win-win for them," said another neighbor who could be affected by the re-route, Michael Kazmierzak.

"It’s close to the cubs field. It’s really a good place, especially since South Bend wants to expand and create good neighborhoods," said Collins.

Preserving their good neighborhood is what they hope to persuade the Common Council to help do.

“I grew up in Ardmore, you know my whole family did. I went to this school, you know, all my brothers and sisters went to this school, and we have a lot of pride," said Clark.

A spokesperson for South Bend Public Works confirmed that they should be releasing the results of that study in February.