LEAP stands for Limitless Exploration Advanced Pace. It is a 10,000-acre plot of productive farmland adjacent to Lebanon that is to be converted into a massive industrial park.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation or IDEC has acquired more than 9,000 aces in Lebanon and Boone County that are ready to parcel for manufacturing or R&D facilities or corporate campuses.
The project is currently on pause for testing of the water, which could divert billions of gallons of water from Lafayette to Lebanon, due to a Citizens Action Coalition report that cites severe deficiencies in Indiana’s water and economic development policy.
The subject was brought up by constituents at the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast at Wesley Manor Saturday morning.
“LEAP is a long term vision,” said Indiana State Senator Brian Buchanan, who lives in Lebanon near the proposed site. “I’ve said all along and I’ve told people that I’ve talked to everyday in the community. There are people who obviously have concerns. There are three buckets of people — those who like it, those who don’t like it and there is a vast number of people, probably 80 percent, just have more questions, want to know what’s going on and about the process.”
Buchanan added this project is supposed to provide transformational growth to the area.
However, as Buchanan said, there is a lot of people, including Indiana State Representative Mark Genda, that says more information needs to be divulged about the project.
“If there’s going to be a half glass full about the LEAP project, one of the things I want to see come out of it is what we heard today, and that is more knowledge of what’s going on,” said Genda.
But, the thing the seems infuriate individuals and some state officials is that the project seems to be promoting bad public policy by treating water like an economic development tool rather than an essential public resource that needs to be protected.
Another item of importance is Senate Bill 248, which is now Senate Bill 138. This bill is a way to help undocumented Hispanics find a way to get a Driver’s Privilege Card to help them do so everyday things such as get to work, go to the grocery and so on.
“If I remember right, that bill do not get a hearing in the Senate,”‘ said Buchanan. “What I try to do with bills like this is talk to multiple people in my district. There are some mixed feelings on it.
The group has made three trips to Frankfort where they has asked City Council members to at least give them a vote of confidence on the matter. So far, nothing has happened.
“I know I’ve been reached out to by the judges of Clinton County in support of driving cards,” said Genda. “Where I want to go with this is tell me some numbers. Tell me how people we are affecting.”
Genda added more information needs to come forward on this matter.
The measure will not be hard until 2025.