Chesterton
officials had what Town Engineer Mark O’Dell described as highly successful
“diagnostic” meetings on Dec. 3 with representatives of the Norfolk Southern
and CSX railroads, as part of the feasibility study which CTC Inc. of Fort
Worth, Texas, is conducting on the establishment of a quiet zone in the
Downtown.
It’s clear from
those meetings, though, that retrofitting the town’s grade-crossings would
be an expensive undertaking.
As O’Dell reported
at the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, he, CTC, and the Federal
Railroad Administration met with Norfolk Southern and CSX in shifts, with
the former in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.
Results from those
meetings:
--The
grade-crossing on South Calumet Road would require the installation of a
“quad gate”--four gates which would preclude motorists from going around a
stop arm--as well as bollards at the southwest corner of the Northside Diner
parking lot. The total cost of quad gate and bollards could be in the
six figures.
--At the North
Fourth Street, North Eighth Street, North 15th Street, and North Jackson
Blvd. grade-crossings, raised concrete medians would need to be erected for
a distance of 60 to 100 feet on either side of the crossing.
--At CSX’s North
15th Street grade-crossing, a concrete median would need to be erected.
--At CSX’s Waverly
Road grade-crossing, a complete system upgrade would need to be done.
--At CSX’s Locust
Street grade-crossing, a concrete median and a curb would need to be
erected.
CSX’s
grade-crossing at Indian Boundary Road and North Calumet Road, though, is
the “elephant in the room,” O’Dell said. There’s really not enough space
there to permit of much retrofitting, as--for instance--the traffic island
immediately south of the crossing would preclude the erection of any
concrete median.
The smart thing to
do may be to remove that grade-crossing from the project list, O’Dell added.
“There are only six to eight trains there per day. That may be the reason to
take it out of the project.”
In any case, the
two meetings went well, O’Dell said. “They were very good. The railroads
were great to work with.”
Brassie Golf Balls
In other business,
Pearson Road resident Evelyn Komenas returned to the council, to ask whether
the Brassie Golf Course ever replied to its Sept. 18 letter requesting that
management take action to prevent errant golf balls from the driving range
to overfly the net and hit her house.
“It was a pretty
good letter,” Komenas said. “But a couple of weeks later I almost got hit by
two balls in my front yard.”
Associate Town
Attorney Connor Nolan told Komenas that the town has received no response
from the Brassie.
“Are you going to
ask them to respond or what?” Komenas pressed “Because spring is coming.”
“Spring is coming,”
agreed Member Nate Cobbs, R-4th. “But let’s give it 30 to 60 days. The
county is on it. If we haven’t heard anything, come back.”
Member Jim Ton,
R-1st, without being specific, sited rumors he’s heard which, he said, could
change matters significantly. “There’s a lot of rumors about the property
there. It may resolve itself. It may prove a moot point.”