Comment EI-14151
Received or sent (printed as 9/30/2008)
I just wanted to take this opportunity to mention my concern over Canadian National purchasing EJ&J. I live within a mile of the train tracks at Normantown and 87th street in Aurora. I have 2 young children, one of which attends Still Middle School on the other side of the train tracks from our home. My poor son is already having to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to catch a 7:25 am bus to get to school by 8:00am. We live with no traffic interference about 10 mins away from the school. I would also be affected as I currently catch a Metra train into Chicago everyday. That would mean instead of getting up a 4:15 to catch a 5:34 train, I would have to get up even earlier on the off hand chance that I might get caught by a train. In our current situation in the last year I have been caught by a train only twice. And finally in a time when housing prices are dropping to all time lows-I have watched my home's value drop considerably. As my family has no plans of moving in the immediate future, this was of no concern to my husband and I--but by allowing CN to buy EJ&J you will effectively cause a permanent decrease in my home's value as many people who are willing to live near a train track that is not used non-stop day and night are not going to be willing to buy a home that has trains interferring with them trying to leave their home to get almost anywhere! Obviously as someone whose Metra trains have been delayed by freight traffic around Chicago, I would love for someone to find a solution as long as it doesn't impact my home/family life. This sale could potentially cut my family off from getting to work, school, dr's, and decent hospital care. I hope when this decision is being made, someone will think about those of us that work very hard to make ends meet, to pay our mortages on time, who bought our homes in what we considered to be a great place to raise our kids. My husband and I hoped to someday have enough equity in our home to move into a single family home. Please don't allow Canadian National to take that away from us. Thank you for listening.
Submitted by: Deborah Gerdeman · Aurora, Illinois
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-14151 · back to the docket sheet