Comment EI-25686
Received or sent (printed as 12/3/2016)
Mr. Blodgett My husband Dan and I own a 54 acre farm on the west side of Beloit Wisconsin. We've raised 5 children on our farm. We also raise beef, sheep, goats, pigs, and many poultry. I do all the farm work and my husband worked at a local factory Warner Brake and Clutch. He worked there for 37 years and came home in 2009 and said they're closing the factory. 2010 my husband was diagnosed with Rhumtoid arthritis and could no longer worker as a machinist at age 56. So we came up with an idea to put a restaurant in part of our barn, no bank would help and I was called crazy by every financial institution around here. But be persistent we got it built and it has been going for 5 years now. We serve Breakfast and lunch and we raise most everything here on our farm. Now we have a new challenge the GLB train wants to go through our pasture and crop field and will cut our 54 acres in half. Our grazing pasture and crop field will be on the other side of the tracks. The rail will come about 150 ft from our barn and restaurant. If this train goes through our property it will put us out of business. I don't know how they would ever be able to make a way for the animals to get to the pasture there will be no water for them on the other side of the tracks. Our animals are primarily grass fed and would not adapt well to trains buzzing by daily. There is also a wetlands and bird sanctuary across the road. The deer and turkeys cross our land, I wonder how many will be killed by these trains. I understand progress but this train makes no sense. Tearing up farmland and destroying lives is not the answer. We have worked hard for everything we have and now we facing 2 to 3 years not knowing if a train is going to ruin our lives. We had hoped to retire in a few years and our son and his wife and 2 boys would take over the farm but if the train goes through, that dream is over. Family farms are an endangered species. I thank you for your time to read and listen to all of us who are effected by the GLB railroad. Sincerely Barb Beeler
Submitted by: Barbara Beeler · Beloit, Wisconsin
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-25686 · back to the docket sheet