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Freedom, Inc., the Urban League, the NAACP and civic leaders were on hand Thursday to advocate for adding two miles of track, but ended up praising rather than cajoling. Councilman Russ Johnson opened hearing with by announcing that the route had been altered.
Not all the testimony at the hearing was positive. Residents of the Main Street corridor and Bill Bates of American Century Investments expressed concerns about parking, effects on traffic and property access. Attorney Clinton Adams, Jr. responded with an invitation that drew laughter:
"For the people on Main Street who are objecting, or have concerns about the route coming down Main, as a resident of the third district, we certainly would welcome moving it further east and coming down Prospect or Brooklyn or Indiana so if you all don't want to deal with that we certainly would like to join forces with them in making that happen."
The revised plan received unanimous committee approval, and advances for a full council vote next Thursday.