WTOL Article and TV Broadcast

Here is a link to an article and TV broadcast by local television station, Channel 11 WTOL that was aired last night:

WTOL TV Broadcast and Article - click here

Meeting(s) Update

There were two important meetings early this week.  For those of you who were unable to attend, here is an update:

Village of Swanton

Monday evening, Village Council held their regular meeting with a standing-room only crowd.  Council members went into executive session, and upon their return to the meeting voted unanimously to withdraw the sale of village-owned land by the Hallett overpass. By this vote, Village Council was saying they were NOT going to sell any land to Norfolk Southern.  They received a huge round of applause for this action!  

Several people in attendance who had asked to be added to the agenda had their chance to speak, among them Linda Cannaley - who shared the negative effect the proposed rail yard is already having on real estate in the Swanton community.  Swanton Township officials, Jeff and Peggy Michael, spoke on the importance of everyone working together to fight the project.  Other township and village residents also spoke.

All who attended said this was a very good meeting with Village Council.

Swanton Township

The very next evening, Swanton Township held their regular meeting, after which they opened the floor for questions and discussion.  Several Village Council members were in attendance, as well as school board members.  Village and township residents were able to ask their questions and be heard.

Senator Randy Gardner was contacted. He indicated his plan to work with us to fight the project, and was scheduled to meet with Jeff Michael (and a Council member, if available) Wednesday morning to tour the area in order to understand the scope of our problem.  Another meeting will be scheduled with Senator Gardner in the near future.

While unverified, there was found a statement online that indicated Norfolk Southern has already won the coal contract from CSX, and will take it over at the first of next year.  If true, this would explain the perceived "rush" by NS to move the project along quickly.

Along with that information, Jeff Michael shared that he had obtained a copy of the NS site plan (some 300 pages) submitted to Lucas County, which includes the plan to close Scott Road - not leave it open with multiple tracks on the north side.  It is this question of closing Scott Road that must go before the PUCO before the project can continue and finish.

Other small communities have fought against the railroad and WON - communities with similar circumstances to ours, which gives us hope that we stand a good chance of winning this fight.  As was mentioned at the meeting Tuesday night, if we are able to get NS to abandon their plan before filing with PUCO, that would be great!  But  if not, we are still prepared with our case.  

With our entire community joined together, organized and prepared, with appropriate legal counsel, we are READY for whenever NS files with the PUCO !!

p.s.  If you are on Facebook, please go to our page, "Citizens Against Norfolk Southern" for other information and videos that you may share with any resident you know who is despairing that it is a "done deal" when it clearly is not!  Get the word out, friends!

Our Community Must Be United

If you have a Facebook account, you can go to the "Citizens Against Norfolk Southern" page and read many many posts written by your neighbors who are upset by this proposed rail yard.  If you have driven around lately, you've seen yard signs protesting the rail yard as well.  

These are ALL good things to do!  The more awareness we can bring to our community, the better armed we will be to fight this thing.  As the old saying goes, "Knowledge is power."

But sometimes "knowledge" differs from "fact".  That happens far too often - where someone "KNOWS" something, or was told by another who "should KNOW" that a certain thing is so, when in reality it is most decidedly NOT TRUE.  

No one is suggesting that our friends or neighbors are deliberately lying to us - but unfortunately, they are unwittingly passing on false information as fact, and this can have a huge negative impact on efforts to unite community members against this terrible proposal.

Let's examine just a few of these items together:

Property owners didn't have a choice - the railroad took their land by eminent domain

FALSE

While the use of eminent domain is one option that a railroad might consider, there is a lengthy process involved in that option.  It can take two full years before a claim under eminent domain might be adjudicated.   

Did Norfolk Southern threaten eminent domain when they met with individual property owners?  We don't know.  What we DO know is that eminent domain was NOT used by the railroad.  That is a FACT, and not an opinion.

In addition, currently the land is only leased.  It has NOT been sold.  No property has actually been purchased by the railroad.  This fact is easily verified by checking with the Lucas Co. Auditor's Office.

You can see the railroad working on the land every day, so obviously there's nothing we can do about it.

FALSE

As stated above, the land is only leased by NS at this point.  Should their planned rail yard project be thwarted, their requirement is to then return the land to its prior condition.

The fact that we can see work being done on the land is NOT an indication that the rail yard is a "done deal" and that we have no chance of stopping it. This perception is false.

My (friend/relative/etc) works for Norfolk Southern, and the employees were told this project is a done deal, and NS is going at this thing with "guns blazing" and nothing was going to stop them. 

PENDING

We have no doubt that NS is going full steam ahead in trying to make their proposed rail yard a reality . . . BUT  at the time they began this project and held those employee meetings months ago, they had no way of knowing how much anger would be generated against this project by members of the community.  They had no clue Swanton Township would hire attorneys familiar with the railroad to fight against them.  There was no way for the powers-that-be at Norfolk Southern to have any idea how big of a fight they would get from our people.  

The land owners who have given NS options to purchase their properties have not sold anything yet, and could stop the rail yard plan by ultimately refusing to sell.  To date, this has not happened.

A vital part of the project requires that Scott Road be closed at both sides of the tracks.  In order to close the road, NS must petition the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).  The PUCO is then required to hold a public hearing on the matter prior to making their decision.

So far, NS has not initiated a petition to close Scott Road with the PUCO.  But if or when they do:

THIS  is where we hope to stop them.  The hearing itself will most likely be held in our area, and interested parties will be allowed to address the Commission.  THIS is where we plead our case. THIS is why we need as many individuals and elected officials from the Village of Swanton and Swanton Township as possible to be ready to testify against the  project.

THIS is why it is so important for Village Council to not sell a small piece of land to the railroad, so that they can testify at the hearing about the terrible, negative effects this project will have on the village.  If they sell that piece of land, they lose all credibility with the PUCO.

THIS is why it is important for our School Board elected officials to step up in their official capacity to speak on how the project will affect our kids.  We're talking significant  safety issues here, folks!  

If you'll stop to consider for a moment, the greatest impact from the proposed rail yard will be felt in the village itself, even though the land needed is in Swanton Township.  It will become extremely difficult to cross the tracks at any crossing in town - Hallett Ave. will become a busy thoroughfare.  The tracks run right through the middle of the village - as trains are greatly slowed to accommodate the requirements of the yard, getting from one side of town to the other will be nearly impossible.  

We do have a chance to stop this thing - but we must stick together, and keep the pressure on the railroad to get outta Dodge.  Don't get confused, and don't get frustrated, thinking our hands are tied.

If all  of us continue to stand together, we can stand up to the railroad and save our community!

 TOGETHER WE CAN WIN !!

Yard Signs Available

Signs are available. $6.00 each and can be picked up at the Swanton Township Hall Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.

This Must Be a JOINT Effort

One clarification with regard to the possible sale of property to NS by the Village of Swanton. 

First off, that strip of land is not critical to NS. It would make things just a bit easier for them, but they are quite able to work around it should the sale not go through. The point of NOT selling the land is that we need the Village to stand up and testify to the PUCO (once NS files their request to close Scott Rd) against the project, as being highly detrimental to the health and safety of village residents. 

Obviously, if they sell land to NS they have no legitimate or valid platform from which to protest the project. It is VITAL that EVERY resident and entity in our community sticks TOGETHER in order to win this fight. 

That is the message we need to help Village Council understand.

Citizens Against Norfolk Southern Petition

A petition has been created for everyone to come together formally to oppose this project. Please sign it, share it, and urge others to do the same! The more names the better!

Click here to sign the petition

Found: Village Council minutes

Many village residents have been wondering - how could Council put up a parcel of land for sale without a public vote?

Lookee what I just found, from June 30, 2016 - MINUTES  from a Village Council meeting that took place at NOON.

click here:   

Village Council meeting minutes 30 June 2016

Any meetings of elected officials that are in addition to the regular schedule are required to be advertised in a very specific manner.  I wonder if this meeting was properly advertised according to Sunshine Law?  Does anyone else find it odd that it occurred during the middle of a normal work day???

I suggest village residents call each one of those council members personally and share your opinion on their action.