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Mayfield residents continue to push CSX to be a better neighbor Date published: 3/31/2009
BY EMILY BATTLE
Mayfield residents and Fredericksburg officials hope they can convince CSX and the state to install a buffer between the railroad tracks that run along Railroad Avenue and the homes that line that street. Residents of the neighborhood have been irked by their proximity to the tracks. They've complained about the noise, pollution, litter and safety concerns that they see every time a train runs past their houses. City Councilman Hashmel Turner, a Mayfield resident, said that about a year and a half ago a train full of garbage was left on one of the tracks over a weekend. "That put out such a rotten smell that I was called about it at 9:30 at night," Turner said. Recently, Railroad Avenue residents awoke to find CSX performing construction work on the tracks, which lie just steps from their front doors. The Rev. Earnest Woodson, whose mother lives on that street, came to a City Council meeting in February to ask why CSX hadn't notified the neighborhood of construction work that involved loud earth-moving equipment and digging. City officials were surprised to learn about the work, too, and they began trying to contact CSX. Last Monday, when city officials walked through the site with a railroad official, more than 30 neighborhood residents showed up to demonstrate their concern. It turns out that CSX is the contractor on this project, which was ordered by the state. The Department of Rail and Public Transit is moving one track closer to the neighborhood to make way for a third track, in order to make it easier to move freight and passenger trains around each other. State officials told the city the project got started sooner than they had anticipated, and that's why nobody was notified. Turner said he was glad to see someone from CSX in town, and he'd like to see either the railroad or the state build a buffer that could separate the neighborhood from the trains. "There is a safety issue there," Turner said. "There's no barrier to prevent little children or pets from moving onto the tracks." Turner points out that other neighborhoods, such as Cobblestone Square, have walls to shield them from train noise. At Cobblestone, the wall was built by the developer, not the railroad. "If it's something that's required for other communities, why would this one be looked on as one not to have one?" he said. City Manager Phillip Rodenberg said the city is talking with state officials about the possibility of a natural barrier, such as evergreen trees. He said there are worries about putting a wall up, because graffiti has been a problem in the city. In the meantime, residents are watching closely to see whether anything is done to improve the situation. "They're far from being satisfied," Woodson said. If nothing happens, he said, "They're going to be back on the block, twice as big and twice as loud." Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
These people need to realize that they decided to move next to the railroad that has been there since before the Civil War. Its not like the trains just showed up one day. If the barrier gets built it will be covered with graffiti and then they will complain about that. If you don't like it, MOVE.
Neighbors should kick some money in and build the sound buffer that they want. If you move next to train tracks must have the expectation that there is going to be noise, and if you took the safety argument to its logical conclusion you would have to build barrier fences the length of tidewater trail. This country desparately needs to develop its rail infrastructure and this recently
discovered NIMBYism is disturbing. Fredericksburg has been a rail town for many years without much problem till now
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