[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6155424,"mediaKeyId","5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35","parentId",5479817,"title","Council adopts Safe Streets and Roads for All plan so city can pursue FHWA implementation grants","audioSeconds",949,"startMs",3573000,"endMs",4522000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35&start=3573&end=4522","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35/thumbnail_3573000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6155424/West-Lafayette-City/Tippecanoe-County/Indiana/Council-adopts-Safe-Streets-and-Roads-for-All-plan-so-city-can-pursue-FHWA-implementation-grants","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6155424-19e8becf9e97f4455da066b5897791cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155769&Signature=XU0v8Yli9rLIy8J0p8BpY-z4-PbnRzagsghGthZtavZT62GgfbWTq0baIpdUqcLCj8jlsbfdbPuqTowxgZ-FGQMLTtElogM9GtoCSyG4ZA99S61MUN1JpvEZvpC2UfNcCxmIrnzObg9Cmkbl7ZRXo5wyfspBjBg9nEkrFT2olyh4UZEqh0oZRIGa012XgFVmqJn-lMZwxLAhVTtUphs8nrReRi3UFvyP5T4c0VZTuQI-4aFvgg3tCNMT3y1gSPwZ5HsEM~fqHVSEqm-Z04xgcnndmXNtzj4DJQ4eTlL7Idy4If2PCjBMDtQJl0tTZXyoEsJGWUGE2E6YuoZKfLQATQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Lafayette City, IN","date","2025-06-02T00:00:00Z","article","The West Lafayette Common Council on June 2 adopted a resolution endorsing the city’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) comprehensive safety action plan, clearing the way to apply for Federal Highway Administration implementation grants.

The council adopted Resolution 8-20-25 by a 6-0 roll-call vote. City Engineer Natalia Bartos said the plan was developed after the council’s earlier Vision Zero policy and a federal planning grant. American StructurePoint led the work; the consultant described the plan’s methodology and prioritized projects and programs.

Why this matters: Adoption lets the city apply for FHWA implementation grants that typically range from $2.5 million to $25 million and require significant federal matching. The plan identifies corridors and intersections with high injury rates and builds a project list the city can advance into design and construction.

Bartos told the council the plan identifies about 14 roadway segments and 10 intersections where safety interventions are needed, naming corridors such as Sagamore Parkway, Northwestern Avenue and Salisbury Street and intersections including River Road at State Street, Lindbergh Road at Northwestern Avenue, and Salisbury Street at Wiggins Street. She said the planning work positions the city to seek implementation funding and to prioritize projects with the highest safety impact.

Shashad Gjarin, the American StructurePoint project manager, said the SS4A plan follows a Vision Zero approach and includes leadership commitment, safety analysis, equity considerations and project selection. He summarized that implementation grants would fund development and construction of projects identified in the action plan and that the upcoming FHWA project call closes June 26.

Public commenters acknowledged the plan’s goals but urged the city to consider future traffic that could result from large new developments. Jason Anderson, a long-time traffic-commission attendee, said the traffic commission had not vetted the plan and asked the council to postpone adoption for further review. He urged the council to re-examine city code about the traffic commission’s advisory role and to coordinate with NDOT for corridors outside city control.

Other residents and engineers asked how the plan would anticipate traffic changes tied to the proposed SK hynix semiconductor project and whether the plan’s multi-year priorities adequately account for rapid changes north of Sagamore Parkway. One commenter noted the plan relies on historical data and suggested additional data sources and scenario planning to capture projected heavy-truck and commuter traffic tied to new industrial development.

Funding and next steps: Bartos said an implementation grant would typically be 80% federal with a 20% local match and that the city will apply to the June 26 FHWA call. She asked council adoption to demonstrate local commitment and to allow the city to apply. The city and the Area Planning Commission submitted separate SS4A planning efforts; staff explained West Lafayette proceeded with a city-scale plan because county- and Lafayette-scale data did not sufficiently isolate city conditions.

Discussion versus action: Council members asked questions and heard public input; they then took formal action to adopt the resolution and authorize application for FHWA implementation funds. The council recorded a 6-0 vote in favor.

Ending: With the resolution adopted, West Lafayette may submit implementation grant applications and pursue design work on prioritized safety projects. Council and staff said projects from the action plan will be coordinated with the MPO and other agencies as needed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","West Lafayette City Council - Jun 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The West Lafayette Common Council on June 2 adopted a resolution endorsing the city’s Safe Streets and Roads for All comprehensive safety action plan, clearing the way to apply for Federal Highway Administration implementation grants.","taxTitle","West Lafayette City, Tippecanoe County, Indiana","taxId",55551,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6155429,"West Lafayette council adopts updated local wastewater limits; residents press for PFAS monitoring amid SK hynix concerns",784,971000,1755000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35&start=971&end=1755","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35/thumbnail_971000.jpg","/articles/6155429/West-Lafayette-City/Tippecanoe-County/Indiana/West-Lafayette-council-adopts-updated-local-wastewater-limits-residents-press-for-PFAS-monitoring-amid-SK-hynix-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6155429-d7917db0cab9938cf2b4b0fac9c11d8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155769&Signature=hSt52hmTpIIz55NT03OweF4~LqamLl-FMkwQLtIXGSJeuOSvDex349cXjrvGt753wAjedmJRCrBz7~8S9RfLJw0Vs8AiTFP0ZI-d6a6gHI0TW1lIufakqkBcX0pe-SK0BeXvcz-qviduSaauCSpfZB9NFh7aUwgP59HpIx1DaNpTgxmHillGxYLUHdRzJLthAql28LdcD6gbrm8~mulBVyd9vx9uYta1FVACMLjSKcLS~idEwBGuozUYGfqhcVxKUz8eGFI8vUD6fbRel2Jci2jJj3CGM1GDNoyi6hSa2Dvclke8rjwTGb3Wf4acMqTGvE4FLV0Wpy71-iBlfX1oYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Lafayette Common Council on June 2 adopted an amendment to Chapter 40 of the city code that sets revised local limits for industrial wastewater discharges, adds chloride and fluoride to the list of regulated pollutants and raises surcharge rates for high-strength effluent.

The ordinance, introduced as Ordinance 28-20-25, passed on a roll-call vote of six yeas and no nays after the council approved an amendment to lower the proposed selenium limit. City Utility Director Dave Henderson told the council the limits were developed with input from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and federal guidance, and that the changes are intended to protect the city’s wastewater treatment plant and the Wabash River.

Why this matters: West Lafayette is preparing for possible industrial customers and a large semiconductor project discussed in public comment; residents, scientists and health professionals pressed the council to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and to ensure monitoring and disposal plans before new industrial dischargers begin operations.

Henderson said the city worked “in cooperation with Paul Heggenbotham, the Assistant Commissioner of Water at IDEM,” and used background sampling of the Wabash River and the city’s removal efficiencies to set the limits. He told the council the changes also add two pollutants the utility had not previously regulated locally: chloride and fluoride. Henderson described the ordinance as “step 1” that will inform IDEM when the state issues any industrial wastewater permits.

The ordinance also raises the rates for strength surcharges, Henderson said. He explained that current surcharges date to when former Utility Director Michael Darter set them and that the proposed rates — for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids and ammonia — were brought into line with Lafayette’s program. Under the ordinance language discussed in the meeting, discharges over 250 milligrams per liter for BOD or suspended solids would be surcharged at $0.42 per pound; ammonia over 30 milligrams per liter would be surcharged at $0.42 per pound.

Henderson further said West Lafayette remains a nondelegated community: IDEM will issue industrial permits unless the city pursues delegation. The city’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit is up for renewal in 2026 and will be reevaluated as needed, he added.

Public commenters urged more stringent controls and explicit PFAS safeguards. Christopher DeMarco, a resident, asked why chloride lacked a baseline and said, “I think that what's going on here is just everybody's doing everything they can to avoid fines for this plant coming in.” Multiple speakers warned that semiconductor manufacturing can use PFAS compounds and that those chemicals can pass through wastewater treatment and concentrate in biosolids or drinking water.

Purdue researchers and other commenters urged the council to require sensitive testing protocols and more monitoring. Omar Ariel, an associate professor at Purdue, said mass spectrometry sensitivity has increased and that “the thing that you didn't detect 5 years before doesn't mean that they are not there,” urging the city to adopt detection protocols and preserve sensitive sampling methods. Another commenter emphasized that treatment technologies can concentrate PFAS, creating hazardous wastes that require proper off-site disposal.

Henderson said the utility can perform some analyses in-house and will send others to contract laboratories when local equipment is not available, and that the city has baseline testing in place. He also said IDEM will amend permits to include reporting once an industrial customer is permitted, and that the city will conduct sampling and report results to IDEM.

Discussion versus action: Council members debated technical questions, asked about sampling frequency and equipment, and ultimately took formal action to amend and adopt the ordinance. The council recorded a roll-call vote approving the ordinance as amended; the transcript shows the final tally as six yeas and no nays.

What the ordinance does not yet do: The adopted ordinance establishes local numeric limits and surcharge structure and adds chloride and fluoride to locally regulated parameters, but it does not create industry-wide PFAS discharge limits. Several speakers asked whether the city will require PFAS monitoring, how SK hynix (the semiconductor project frequently cited by speakers) will manage PFAS and whether the city will require baseline monitoring and disposal plans; the council’s action did not add PFAS discharge limits or a specific PFAS monitoring requirement in the adopted text.

Next steps and context: Henderson said the city will re-evaluate local limits when it has industrial customers, when new federal or state regulations appear, or at permit renewal. He said NPDES permit renewal work is underway for a 2026 cycle. Residents and scientists urged the council to establish explicit PFAS monitoring, to use sensitive testing methods and to require disposal plans for PFAS-containing waste before accepting major new industrial dischargers.

Ending: The council adopted the revised Chapter 40 wastewater limits and surcharge changes; meanwhile, members of the public and local scientists requested follow-up work and clearer PFAS controls before large industrial dischargers begin operations in the community.","The West Lafayette Common Council adopted amendments to Chapter 40 of the city code to set new local industrial wastewater limits, add chloride and fluoride, raise surcharge rates and lower some metal limits; residents and scientists urged the city to add PFAS monitoring and clarify protections tied to the pending SK hynix project.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6155419,"Residents urge West Lafayette to adopt resolution protecting gender-affirming care; council forms working group",1901,5043000,6944000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35&start=5043&end=6944","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5479817-b11a86a2dadb536bc8bf0a1bbb01ca35/thumbnail_5043000.jpg","/articles/6155419/West-Lafayette-City/Tippecanoe-County/Indiana/Residents-urge-West-Lafayette-to-adopt-resolution-protecting-gender-affirming-care-council-forms-working-group","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6155419-dff108ad7a7d8a380e96da231b2ea2d3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155769&Signature=J-C-is63D6BeF2XK-K39UPSQsC0fLaTmYxChypKQ8ZKAuyK5vHkAzPJXAB2u36HB4xPYK8h-CVtLjP6dMD9vSenaS1bHMONv9RRdYXwlUGA85NCs6BK4v0pj710vck-yUlM~HfspUCvTWXXIcdusWg60aR0UerPJCNULaUbaSXDkMT96Fpi4p7ssYI9XGreTgM5hM8WHm7obSq80ha-semk-SsDq3z8E3g13pSYu89I-B6fFLIPzAJTwy69t66moZCuXQKfXEPwzccWtWmmx1872~EYzL11gokewYlZehsCc0vQYIVQJuspMz3Oc5yeZ2iwjIdIDL447DhLwIyKHVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents on June 2 urged the West Lafayette Common Council to adopt a local resolution in support of gender-affirming care, citing public-health guidance and the potential harm from state and federal restrictions. Commenters asked the council to follow Bloomington’s example and pass a statement directing local officials and law enforcement to deprioritize enforcement actions that would interfere with access to medically prescribed care.

Speakers included community members, teachers, clergy and public-health workers who said gender-affirming care is life-saving medicine. Benjamin Davis told the council he supports a resolution to “push back against these, kind of hateful acts from our legislation” and urged local leadership to protect residents who depend on care. Lily Pendleton, who works with Tippecanoe County libraries, said Bloomington’s prior resolution is a succinct model and noted West Lafayette’s municipal code already lists gender identity and expression as protected classes.

Several speakers described personal experience and risks. A. J. (AJ) Dunn described barriers to work and health care he faced before receiving gender-affirming care; Reverend Kurt Freeman said clergy see the mental-health consequences of restricted access, noting he has presided at suicide funerals for LGBTQ youth. Commenters repeatedly asked the council for a clear public statement that West Lafayette is a safe community for transgender residents and their families.

Council response: At the end of public comment the presiding council official told speakers the council had been in contact with organizers and said it had established a small group of council members — Bellisario, Lee, Parker and the presiding official — to meet with community representatives and work on draft language. The presiding official asked for community help in that process and said the group would attempt to produce a resolution the full council could consider.

Discussion versus action: No resolution was on the June 2 agenda and the council did not vote on any ordinance or resolution that night. The council’s next step, as announced in the meeting, is internal meetings among the named council members with community representatives to draft possible language for future consideration.

Ending: Community members who addressed the council asked for prompt action and for the council to place a resolution on a future agenda; the council indicated it will meet with stakeholders before deciding on formal language.","Dozens of residents urged the council to pass a local resolution protecting access to gender-affirming care for residents; the council said it will form a working group of council members to draft or review possible language.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council adopts Safe Streets and Roads for All plan so city can pursue FHWA implementation grants

West Lafayette council adopts updated local wastewater limits; residents press for PFAS monitoring amid SK hynix concerns

Residents urge West Lafayette to adopt resolution protecting gender-affirming care; council forms working group