Comment EI-21979

Received or sent 12 Apr 2016 (printed as 4/12/2016)

Dear Mr. Dave Navecky, I’m writing today for your support in the opposition of the Great Lakes Basin Transportation Corporations Railroad plan through Northwest Indiana& specifically through the land directly south of my home in Porter County. My family & I have been in this location for the last 16yrs. I want to point out the specific concerns we have as it pertains to the project in whole and this location on County Line road in Hebron, In. My first concern is the proximity of the route & the safety of my family and the community of Boone Township and Hebron. It is my understanding that the railroad cargo that would travel this path would include highly toxic chemicals in addition to other hazardous material & pollutants. In the event of a derailment, failure of a cargo car, or rail crossing accident, it would be virtually impossible for the local emergency responders to properly address the catastrophic event in a manner that would protect my family & the community from the effects of a release of toxic fumes, fire, explosions, up to and including loss of life. If the trains were to travel through the area at the rate of 1 every 15 minutes, emergency response to a fire, life threatening medical event such as, heart attack, or major injury from an accident of any type, and/or the immediate need for Police response, ambulances, fire trucks, would be delayed to point a life or death situation could be in effect fatal to my family, neighbors and the community. Within .1 mile of our driveway is a proposed grade level rail crossing. Standing traffic and vehicles attempting to avoid the constant stoppages would increase traffic congestion and the probability of train vs. vehicle accidents. In general, vehicle accidents/incidents would increase exponentially directly in front of my home further decreasing the safety of my family, my neighbors and the community. Our community’s children will spend longer time travelling on school buses and now be exposed to the possibility of an accident that would include rail traffic. The road will become a constant area of poor repair as train crossing are always in need of repair causing unwanted or warranted damage to vehicle traffic that would pass through this area. The trains, if this were to be allowed to pass would travel within 200ft of my home. (I have attached a photo of the proposed path. My home is at the top photo)There are many studies that tangibly and statistically document the ill effects of train noise, vibration, & light to heart rate, cardiovascular health and asthma as it relates to the pollutants introduced to an area. These studies show the noise, vibration and pollution all have negative effects to people that live within this proximity to active rail traffic. In addition to the noise, vibration, pollution, and flashing lights, the area water supply is directly beneath us in the means of wells. These trains will disrupt the natural flow of water & in the event of any toxic or chemical spill the supply of water could be completely decimated to the point it becomes contaminated & unusable. Additionally, we have 7children, their families & 14 grandchildren that spend time visiting and enjoying the recreational advantages of our property. These include the 3.5 acres of land for riding ATVs, swing set use, swimming in our pool and activities with the horse we have on our property. The constant sounding horns, rumbling of trains & pollutants will adversely affect our ability to enjoy the recreational activities that have become a standard at our home. We also have a special needs grandson that spends time at our home and the noise, vibration, sounds of the constant passing trains and flashing lights are known to adversely affect those with special needs & will detrimentally affect the health & well-being of our grandson. This area of Boone township is home to wildlife as follows, Red-tailed hawks that nest all along the East end of my property line, along the drainage canal, that divides my property with the adjoining farm tract, White-tailed deer that have a direct travel track that runs directly through the path of the proposed train path, Birds of multiple varieties including Eagles, Canadian Geese, ducks , Heron, Cardinals, blue-jays and many more, not to mention several of these are Federally protected species. Mammals of various species including, raccoons, squirrel, rabbits, chipmunks and many more are natural residents to the land surrounding my property and the train path. The coyote’s also make this area home and natural sound of their howls and the habitat of all these creatures will forever be silenced to this area if this is allowed to go through. I have attached two recent photos, taken by my daughter, of a Bald Eagle that was sited not more than 1.5 miles from my home in her back yard and a hawk along the road. (The hawks are a daily & common site in all of the Boone township/Hebron area) The natural drainage of the land goes directly across the train path and would be disrupted beyond repair. The drainage canal directly adjacent to my property would be disrupted and will surely cause back up and flooding that will negatively impact the entire Boone township area, my property, and the surrounding community. In conclusion, I implore you to consider these facts as you formulate your decision as it relates to this proposed train path. This has so many negative affects to the environment, ecology of the area, natural habitat of wildlife, and the safety of my family & our communities. The surrounding areas will become a complete wasteland due to the effects of this proposed route. The vibrant communities along the path would be ruined and travel would become a virtual standstill driving businesses, agriculture, and families out of the area. I cannot find one local or National benefit that will come from this proposed plan. I see only the degradation of the Counties, communities, great States of Indiana, Illinois, & Wisconsin and the families that will be impacted by the Great Lakes Basin Transportation Corporation Railroad plan. Thank you for your support & feel free to contact us at any time. Respectfully, Frank R. & Amber Gonzalez 635 S. 800 W. Hebron, In. 46341 Home ~ 219-299-7001 Cell ~ 847-366-4670

Submitted by: Frank R. Gonzalez · Hebron, Indiana

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.

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Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-21979
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