Page 8 V tJR C '_C MMIIEtlTV ~llt iEra - September 19, 2012
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largest pocket of residents affected by the
railroad's demands. "This is not my fight.
This is all of our fight. We don't think it is
right for them to charge us to go to'our own
homes.
"They can put liens against my prop-
erty and put barricades up," he said. "They
can knock themselves out. We'll organize
a big rally. I speak for people like Shirley
Trahan, who don't have the ability to fight
for themselves."
The crew from KVAL TV had visited
Trahan's home Tuesday, Sept. 11, where it
had filmed a report on Trahan's concerns
over the letter. Cameraman Bill Goetz and
reporter Lauren Lee were back Wednesday
after Albany & Eastern officials took issue
with the fact that KVAL personnel were
standing on the railroad right-of-way when
they filmed the story Tuesday.
"They made it clear that we could be
prosecuted for being on railroad property,"
Goetz said. Wednesday they stayed well
way from the actual crossing, filming angry
residents farther down Trahan's driveway.
Neighbor Leena Neuschwander said
she moved onto nearby property owned by
her grandmother, Ethel Ellis, right about
the time the first of three letters, sent by the
company to some of the residents, arrived
in March.
She said the first two letters arrived a
week before the company held an informa-
tional meeting on March 22 at the Sweet
Home Community Center. About 40 people
attended that meeting, at which some voiced
concerns over the railroad's plan to charge
the fees.
Most of the neighbors at Trahan's home
on Sept. 12 said they had only received one
letter - the latest, dated Aug. 30, 2012, and
the fee was news to them.
Neuschwander said it appeared the
company sent the initial letters to land-
owners it had been able to identify by that
point.
"It's outrageous," said Joe Brocard,
who operates an apple orchard at 28095
Santiam Highway. "How the hell can they
shut your crossing off when I pay taxes to
the county? The assessor doesn't have any
trouble finding me."
Cornell said last week that he had "no
comment" on the crossings. He said Albany
& Eastern was preparing a written response,
but as of Tuesday morning, Sept. 18, The
New Era had not received that document,
despite a phone inquiry as to its status.
During the March 22 meeting with
residents at the Community Center, Al-
bany & Eastern General Manager Mark
Photo by Scott Swanson
Shirley Trahan, who lives across the railroad tracks from Highway 20, talks with a TV reporter in her front yard as neighbors watch.
Russell said a letter had been mailed to but he said that when he contacted County the rails to level two. Parts of the rails cur-
some residents outlining the permit re- Commissioner Roger Nyquist to ask abolit rently fall below the lowest classification
quirements. He said at the March meet- the situation, Nyquist sided with the railroad, and speeds are limited in some places to
ing, and area residents said last week, that saying it was the residents' responsibility to as low as 3 mph. When complete, the track
some people along the railway have agree- pay for maintaining the crossing because the will allow speeds of up to 25 mph.
ments with Burlington Northern-Sante Fe road is not up to county standards. The project is largely funded through a
Railroad, which owned the rails until the Nyquist told The New Era that Coun-Connect Oregon III grant through the Or-
late 1990s. Some of them have even made try Lane is one of "500 to 1,000" similar egon Department of Transportation using
payments as late as 2011, Russell staid, small developments in which developers set Oregon Lottery dollars. The state is paying
He said then that questions regarding the aside one parcel for access and deed it to for approximately $2.6 million out of the $4
$600 fee were still being resolved and that the county, but do not improve it to county million estimat sed cost, which involves re-
Albany &Eastern had a request in to BNSF standards. Thus, those lanes and driveways placing ties and crossings. A&E has already
and property owners for information on are not part of the county road system, even completed work between Albany and Leba-
those permits, though the county owns the land. non and Lebanon and Mill City.
Cornell declined to answer a reporter's He said some property owners have Cornell said the company is hoping
questions, which included inquiries into the formed local improvement districts to up- to attract industry to Sweet Home with the
status 0f those information-gatheringefforts grade their access roads to county stan- railroad improvements. "There's a lot of
by Albany & Eastern. dards, which have then been included in the prime real estate in that area that could be
Martel said a related issue for the 10 county road system, developed," he said. "Our vision is to build
residents of Country Lane is who actually At the March 22 meeting, Russell said the railroad, develop sites, and bring indus-
owns their road and the condition of the the 70 miles of rails now owned by Albany try and economy to Linn County."
railroad crossing there, which he described & Eastern have been neglected for about 50 Martel and others termed the rebuilding
as poor - frequently flooding during rainy years, project as a "railroad to nowhere"
seasons, even after it was repaired after the The company has been involved in a "I understand economic development,"
crossing washed out completely in 1997. project, at an estimated cost of $4 million, Martel said. "I'm all for it. But why would
He produced a county document stat- to improve the track and raise the Federal you impose those penalties on US in this in-
ing that the gravel road is county property, Railroad Administration classification of fant stage?"
Veterans home groundbreaking Thursday
The Oregon Department of Vet- care to veterans, their spouses and
erans' Affairs and the city of Leba- Gold Star parents," said ODVA Di-
non will join forces for the official rector Jim Willis.
groundbreaking of the state's new "The home will be built using a
154-bed veterans' home at 1 p.m. small house model, which creates a
Thursday, Sept. 20. small community for residents and
Officials from the ODVA, state staff and is abig departure from other
legislature, city of Lebanon, Linn traditional skilled nursing homes and
County, and others will break ground similar assisted living facilities."
on the new $30 million project. The new 154-bed facility will
"Once complete the new veter- be built on 12 acres adjacent to the
ans' home will offer long-termskilled Samaritan Health Sciences Campus
nursing care, rehabilitation services, in Lebanon.
andAlzheimer's and memory related The project's contractor, Lease
We want you to be part of our Harvest Festival
Saturday, October 13th at Sankey Park.
Contact Community Development - 541-367-8113
Crutcher Lewis of Portland, will be-
gin site work by October, which will
include the site utilities, temporary
roads, parking areas and establishing
the building pads.
Funded by federal grants and lo-
cal matching funds, the new home is
expected to open in late-2014.
Willis said the home will employ
about 200 people including admin-
istrators, medical staff, custodians
and bus drivers. "We will also need
many, many volunteers," he said.
The new home will increase the
total number of veteran beds in Or-
egon to 305.
For more information regarding
the project, contact ODVA's project
manager, John Osborn, (503-) 373-
2023.
