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| Residents Think BNSF Should Pay Greater Share of Quiet Zone-Related Work |
Some Galesburg residents say they're not anti-Burlington Northern Santa Fe, but also feel like the city's largest employer may not being do enough to help the city get the work done needed in order to close at least eight rail crossings in town.
The residents spoke at a special City Council work session on the matter Monday night. The plan that could ultimately lead to a Quiet Zone designation, making train whistles stop blaring along certain parts of several rail lines, could cost about $2.5 million to implement. Of that, BNSF has committed to funding about $750,000 worth.
Resident Roy Anderson says it would seem to him that BNSF has more than just a dollar interest in this.
"I was wonder if, in fact, the railroad -- Galesburg being so different than most of the towns that they serve -- if they would foot a little bit of the bill, and be a good stakeholder to this community, instead of putting it all on the taxpayer," Anderson said.
The rest of the money would come from either state grant money or from tax payers in the form of property tax dollars in some form or another.
BNSF Public Projects Manager Chad Scherwinski says he thinks the offer is generous. "We have offered ($750,000) for voluntary grade crossing closures, as well as at each one of these grade separations -- East and West Main and Seminary -- BNSF will be contributing five-percent of the overpasses," Scherwinski said."
The city is currently on a timetable to formally post a notice of intent to apply for a quiet Zone in March of next year, with an application going in three-months later, with a possible approval next November.
(Residents watch and listen to a presentation on Galesburg's Quiet Zone proposal Monday at the Galesburg Public Library. WGIL News Story and Photo by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 11 24 09 by Newsroom |
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