Comment EI-31417
Received or sent (printed as 12/15/2021)
I am the Executive Director of the Roselle Public Library District in Roselle, IL. Our library building is located near the railway that bisects the Village of Roselle. If the estimate of a 300% increase in freight traffic with Canadian Pacific Railway's acquisition of the Kansas City Southern rail network is accurate, then I am extremely concerned about the wear this may cause on our facility and the impact of all our staff, visitors, and passerby to the village's municipal complex. Throughout our facility cracks are plainly visible and slowly growing, on walls and in the foundation. Our building was constructed in 1982 and the source of these cracks has long been attributed to the nearby railway. Even if the majority of these cracks are cosmetic today, I am concerned of what the future holds for our facade and structure if there is an extreme increase freight train traffic. And then there is also the noise factor. Even today's amount of train traffic can be disruptive to staff and patrons when they are inside the facility. What will 300% more train traffic do to our staff and patrons' ability to read quietly, listen to a presentation, concentrate on the work they are doing, and otherwise enjoy their time spent in the Library and its surrounding environs? I also have concerns about the impact an increase in freight trains may have on traffic in and out of the Library's parking lot just south of the railroad - and also in and out of the municipal complex the Library is situated within. Wait times for cars and pedestrians to cross seem manageable right now, but if we see more freight trains during the day it seems likely the complex and surrounding neighborhood will see traffic build up dramatically at Park Street, Prospect Street, and Roselle Road - a major road through town. Because Irving Park Road and the entry onto Illinois Route 390 are all north of the railroad we do see a regular flow of drivers passing our building from Maple Avenue.
Submitted by: Samantha Johnson · Roselle Public Library District · Roselle, IL
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-36500/comment/EI-31417 · back to the docket sheet