Comment EI-25486
Received or sent (printed as 10/30/2016)
Dear Ms. Rutson, On the morning of September 24, 2016, while at work, I received a message from my wife about a railroad being planned to be constructed behind our home at 4980 W. Cleophas Rd, in the Town of Beloit, WI. Assuredly, this must be some sort of mistake or a joke, was my initial reaction. Sadly, upon further investigation and speaking to my neighbors, it was confirmed in short order, that the Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. has proposed the construction of a railway adjacent to my back yard. The plans specify a railway built to be capable of handling cargo of all kinds at speeds up to 70 mph. The current plan is 10-12 trains per day, with a future planned expansion up to 6 lines of rail and 110 trains per day. That is more frequent than a train every 15 minutes, all day (and night), every day! If anyone had told me the night before my property value would drop by 50% the next day I would have thought they were crazy, but I can promise you it has, and the only way to restore that is to adopt a No Action resolution to this proposal. These folks have been proposing this railway for a few years now, looking at a number of paths through IL and WI. When they meet resistance or find an obstacle, they just speculate on a different route, while leaving the previous one on their maybe" list, in case the latest one doesn't work out. Without even moving one piece of equipment they have succeeded in driving down our property value, and many others. We bought our home, our dream home in the country, on 2 acres, with a plan to raise our young family and retire there. How do you let your 6 year old son and 9 year old daughter go play in the back yard when there are trains going past at 40-70 mph every 15 minutes? How do you ever go to sleep, have a conversation, or enjoy a television show or a quiet evening on your deck? How do you live in the home if this rail is built? The proposed plan also calls for a bridge over the state highway that runs past a corner of our property, which means all of these trains will be accelerating past our property to take on the grade for the bridge. In addition, I expect an amplification of water drainage issues with my property when the grading is completed to build up what is now a flat farm field behind our lot into the transition for this bridge. That water will all have one way to drain, which is past, around, or under our home. In essence, our dream home has been proposed into a nightmare, with no way out, if they succeed in building this railroad. This is not what we had planned when we sank everything we have worked for in our lives into the purchase of our piece of the American Dream! The problems go from ours, to those of the entire community, also. The same issues we face, our neighbors and all others along this rail face. In addition to home concerns you have someone looking to create countless travesties of injustice to wetlands, parks, businesses that rely on quiet, scenic spaces, wildlife, and farmland, just to name a few. This railway would haul all sorts of materials, including toxic and flammable chemicals, up to the possibility of nuclear waste, past our home and children, and our neighbors’ homes and children. It will cross numerous farm fields where farmers on loud, slow-moving equipment will have to take a leap of faith before crossing tracks that could produce a 70 mph train every 15 minutes, and remember; the plan is eventually to have up to 6 tracks! It is my opinion there is no place for this rail in the Midwest, period; and no great need of it. This rail line is the desire of one Frank Patton to create a toll railroad for personal gain; built on the backs of the residents of our communities, and the land of our cities, counties, and states, with a blatant disregard for anyone's needs and desires other than his own. While he would reap the rewards and the profits comfortably in his home, we will all be left to cope with the annoyance and destruction associated with the new rail in our communities. A "Wait and See" approach will not work! If this proposal makes it past the next hurdle and this start-up transportation company is granted official "railroad" company status they would assume the powers of Eminent Domain. Mr. Patton has stated that he already has $8-10B in financial backing and will not stop until he gets this built. Please rule a No Action resolution on this matter, so we can all go back to our normal way of country life and put this behind us, once and for all. The STB has the power to help us stop Mr. Patton. Feel free to call me at 608-289-4308 to discuss this personally if you so desire. Sincerely, Michael Thompson"
Submitted by: Michael Thompson · Beloit, WI
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-35952/comment/EI-25486
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