The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/89560
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, October 24, 2012 A-9 H Dedman sees work culminate Continued from page A-9 southwest Indiana. It was organized by David Gra- ham of Washington and Jim Newland, who was hired to promote the highway. Ded- man said the highway was a dream of Graham's. "His family owned property in southern Mexico," said Dedman. He explained the Pan American Highway ran near the property and north to the United States. This inspired Graham to think about having it expand from the southwest United States to southwest of Indiana, to I- 69 that runs north of India- napolis to Detroit. "He was the dreamer," said Dedman. In 1992 Jim Newland, who Hoosier Voices, tells those attending the I-69 celebration. "I can't wait to able to drive 70 mph across here." Joe Dedman, who was an executive committee member, a vice-chair and eventually overall chair of was 72 at the time was hired as a spokesman for the idea of the highway. Graham and Newland spent the next nearly decade driving up and down what is now the corridor talking mayors, town councilmen, county of- ficials and economic devel- opment directors; promot- ing the promise of a new in- terstate coming by and or through their town. Graham and Newland both attended Petersburg City Council and Pike County Commissioner meetings. "Newland's job was to sell the local politi- cians." Newland died earlier this Continent Highway Coali- tion became the Voices for I-69. "At that time it was still basically a southwest Indiana-based group." He made three trips to Wash- ington DC to promote the new highway federal level politicians. Then in 2006, Dedman year and didn't get to see the finished highway. Dedman said the Mid- Miss Pike County Hannah Crow cuts the ribbon during Saturday's ceremony. said the group, over a few years, had begun to recog- nize they needed a broader support group from through- out the state to make a big- ger impact. They changed their name to Hoosier Voic- es and began recruiting businesses and politicians throughout the state to sup- port the project. Plus, they divided it into three differ- ent sections: southern, cen- tral and northern. Dedman was named one of the three vice-chairs for the southern region. Dave Quant was the overall chairman. Dedman assumed the overall chair- man's role when Quant died. Dedman said under the Toll Road) was leased, the booths collecting tolls were costing the state more to op- erate than they were taking in," said Dedman. "Not only did we get the because there was strong opposition to Major Moves with the opponents claiming Daniels was selling Indiana highways to foreign entities. "At the time it (Indiana name for Daniels' plan to lease the road to a private company for just under $4 billion. The state banked that sum, which produced $250,000 a day in inter- est. Not only did it provide the funding for I-69, it al- so sent untold thousands to counties all over Indiana. Pike County received three yearly payments of more than $200,000 from Major Moves. Dedman said before Ma- money for Major Moves that would pay for the construc- tion of I-69, but we improved the efficiency of the opera- tion of the toll road." Major Moves was the jor Moves happened, con- struction for I-69 would have been delayed until 2017. "It accelerated that much," said Dedman. He proudly says, "This is the largest highway con- struction project in the Unit- ed States." Major Moves also allowed the project to be built all at one time. The highway was divided into three-to-seven mile stretches and bid indi- vidually. Different contrac- tors were awarded the con- tracts to each section. Some contractors have more than one section, but it allowed the highway to be built all at once, instead of starting at one end and progressing toward the other. "That has been the most pleasant sur- prise. They have been able to build so many miles of it at once," said Dedman. INDOT officials will on- ly say they hope to open the highway before the end of November. However, con- struction personnel have said unofficially the target date is November 17. He said the biggest disap- administrations of Frank O'Bannon and Joe Kernan, the highway actually got put on paper, and the actu- al route took shape. He said that was when the opposition also really got started, and had some- thing to protest against. The public meetings also start- ed and people supporting it and opposing it showed up at both the public hearings on the route. "There were a lot of peo- pointment is, "We couldn't build in some of the extras, because we had to stretch the dollars. I would love to have seen them build in fi- ber optic cable along it." He said he also acknowl- ple in this community who got up and spoke to support it," said Dedman. Dedman explained at the Above: Tom Vinnedge with the Winslow Lions Club gave kids free rides on their miniature train. Left: Ron Sharp and Jeff Bi- esterveld manned the grill Saturday for the Pe- tersburg Kiwanis Club. change its spots? Jeremiah 13:23 Can a leopard Tom Hensler for County Council-At-Large Paid for by Committee to Elect Tom Hensler beginning of the 21st centu- ry, the hope was it could be built by 2010. "Then as we faced funding realities in the mid-2000s, we hoped (to see it completed) by 2020. But along came Governor Mitch Daniels and Major Moves. Dedman said Hoosier when the barricades come down, it isn't the end of the work for towns and cities along the highway. "David Graham always said, 'This highway is about jobs, jobs, jobs. We still have a lot of things to do and plans to see through. We have been doing them, but we need to prepare and take advan- tage of this resource, so we can bring these jobs to Pike County, because that is why we built the highway." "I'm excited. I can't wait," edges "the sacrifice people in Pike County have had to make by selling their land. I know it was very difficult for those people. I hate it that people had to make sacrific- es for this to become a real- ity," said Dedman. He also said he knows Voices was a strong support- er of Major Moves, which called for Indiana to lease the operation of the Indi- ana Toll Road. At the time, it was a big political battle, said Dedman about the highway. So much so, he has an all-day trip planned for the day the highway opens. "I just hope it works out so I can take off work that day and drive from one end of the highway to the other. Really, I can't wait." Query for Treasurer It has been a pleasure serving the people of Pike County for the past eight years. Going into it, I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into, but by retaining my employees, I couldn't fail. They were excellent teachers, which made learning easier and I enjoyed the challenge of the many tasks in the Treasurer's office. Thank you so much for bestowing your trust in me. I want to recommend Marta Query as your next Treasurer. Marta began working in the Treasurer's office in 2007. In March of this year, she was appointed Chief Deputy. In her present position, some of her responsibilities include: Reconciling Bank Statements, Month Com- parison with Auditor, Control of the Cash and Funds Report, Inheritance Tax Reports and of course, greeting the public for Tax Collections. She is familiar with all the reporting require- ments, policy, functions and duties of the office. There is "nothing she can't do in the Treasurer's Office." Please vote for Marta Query on November 6, 2012 for Pike County Treasurer. PAID FOR By NylA DOOley