Post by overtaxed on Sept 24, 2008 18:14:59 GMT -6
I got this in a email and wanted to share:
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
As expected, the CN rail purchase is going through. See the attached note. Although you can still contact government officials to try and slow or stop the process, the more important questions might be as follows:
What are the new bus schedules if for safety and time reasons that only over or under-passes can be used to cross the former EJ&E RR tracks?
Do the new schedules handle traffic and fuel costs in the most efficient manner or are there new changes in school assignments required based on this new information?
If over or under-passes are not planned for use, then what assurances will the city and school district provide that are children will be safe and the bus transport times guaranteed? (note here that the current schedule has about nearly 1000 students crossing the tracks at Montgomery Road and Normantown Road where there is no traffic light - many buses making left hand turn over the RR tracks)
Is Aurora and Naperville going to move up the 95th Street western expansion to Eola Road project that includes under/over pass at the RR tracks from 10-15 years out to this 2008-2009?
As advised earlier there was a lot of talk about standing up against the CN purchase but no discussion of a PLAN B. We need the PLAN B commitments now, or a complete re-work of the bus schedules and school assignments.
Otherwise the district will waste money on transportation (some estimates are about $50 million over 20 years - the cost is already much higher this year likely due to fuel costs alone), safety risk will rise significantly meaning the potential for a fatal accident rises along with legal cost exposure for the district, and the cost to taxpayers of any 95th Street expansion (or an Ogden road over/underpass).
An over/underpass at Ogden and the EJ&E RR tracks means a lot longer commute for parents, student bus riders and student drivers (perhaps twice the time projected) that may be justified on amount of traffic, but costs the families in the southwest Naperville - where most of the population growth, people and students live - in terms of fuel costs, safety risk and lost time.
Please stay on top of this situation and let your district, city, state and federal officials know your concerns about the need for a PLAN B, the potential high safety risks, the cost of PLAN B, and the wasteful energy costs undertaken in lieu of education spending. These are all very reasonable questions and very real concerns that any parent should have.
Best Regards!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attached Message
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Groves, Barb" <Barb_Groves@IPSD.ORG> [ Save Address ]
Reply-to: "Groves, Barb" <Barb_Groves@IPSD.ORG>
To: <SCULLEN-NEWS@LISTSERV.IPSD.ORG>
Subject: [SCULLEN-NEWS] IPPC Legislative Alert: Act Now!
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:51:39 -0400
Update:
H.R.6707 passed out of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee this morning and will proceed to the House for broader consideration. That said, it is still important to contact House leaders to ensure this measure is voted upon before Congress adjourns.
204 E-News: Proposed Rail Line Purchase
Indian Prairie Superintendent Dr. Stephen Daeschner spoke at a recent Surface Transportation Board hearing regarding the proposed purchase of the EJ and E rail line by Canadian National. Dr. Daeschner addressed the impact that increased rail traffic will have on the district's transportation system.
As the third largest district in the state, Indian Prairie transports 17,500 students each day. The rail line in question stretches more than 11 miles through the district with seven schools located within a half-mile of the tracks. There are two grade-level crossings of particular concern. School buses cross the Ogden Avenue tracks a total of 164 times each day and the Montgomery Avenue tracks 139 times each day. If the proposed sale goes through, there is an expected increase not only in the number of trains traveling though the community, but also in train length. Gate closures are anticipated to increase up to 10 minutes per train. Delays created by rail traffic will impact students arrival to school as well as their timely return home.
There are several ways community members can voice their concerns about the proposed rail purchase.
Contact Congress regarding H.R. 6707, a bill entitling federal authorities to deny approval of rail purchases when public costs outweigh transportation benefits and to impose strict mitigation conditions upon any approved purchase after August 1, 2008. More information on H.R.6707 is online at:
frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6707ih.txt.pdf
Contact the following House legislators and ask them to Pass H.R. 6707 before Congress adjourns:
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar, 202-225-6211
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, www.speaker.gov/contact
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, www.majorityleader.gov/email_and_rss/email_the_leader
House Minority Leader John Boehner, republicanleader.house.gov/Contact/
U.S. Representative Judy Biggert, judybiggert.house.gov/ContactJudy.aspx
Community members also have until September 30 to contact the Surface Transportation Board regarding their assessment of the proposed purchase. This is the final opportunity to voice an opinion before the STB rules on this matter. You must reference Docket No. FD-35087 when you contact the STB in one of the following ways:
Submit electronic comments at: www.stb.dot.gov/Ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/incoming?OpenForm
Call 1-800-347-0689 and leave a recorded message.
**************************************************
You are receiving this message because you have subscribed to SCULLEN-NEWS.
To unsubscribe, send an email to SCULLEN-NEWS-unsubscribe-request@LISTSERV.IPSD.ORG
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
As expected, the CN rail purchase is going through. See the attached note. Although you can still contact government officials to try and slow or stop the process, the more important questions might be as follows:
What are the new bus schedules if for safety and time reasons that only over or under-passes can be used to cross the former EJ&E RR tracks?
Do the new schedules handle traffic and fuel costs in the most efficient manner or are there new changes in school assignments required based on this new information?
If over or under-passes are not planned for use, then what assurances will the city and school district provide that are children will be safe and the bus transport times guaranteed? (note here that the current schedule has about nearly 1000 students crossing the tracks at Montgomery Road and Normantown Road where there is no traffic light - many buses making left hand turn over the RR tracks)
Is Aurora and Naperville going to move up the 95th Street western expansion to Eola Road project that includes under/over pass at the RR tracks from 10-15 years out to this 2008-2009?
As advised earlier there was a lot of talk about standing up against the CN purchase but no discussion of a PLAN B. We need the PLAN B commitments now, or a complete re-work of the bus schedules and school assignments.
Otherwise the district will waste money on transportation (some estimates are about $50 million over 20 years - the cost is already much higher this year likely due to fuel costs alone), safety risk will rise significantly meaning the potential for a fatal accident rises along with legal cost exposure for the district, and the cost to taxpayers of any 95th Street expansion (or an Ogden road over/underpass).
An over/underpass at Ogden and the EJ&E RR tracks means a lot longer commute for parents, student bus riders and student drivers (perhaps twice the time projected) that may be justified on amount of traffic, but costs the families in the southwest Naperville - where most of the population growth, people and students live - in terms of fuel costs, safety risk and lost time.
Please stay on top of this situation and let your district, city, state and federal officials know your concerns about the need for a PLAN B, the potential high safety risks, the cost of PLAN B, and the wasteful energy costs undertaken in lieu of education spending. These are all very reasonable questions and very real concerns that any parent should have.
Best Regards!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attached Message
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Groves, Barb" <Barb_Groves@IPSD.ORG> [ Save Address ]
Reply-to: "Groves, Barb" <Barb_Groves@IPSD.ORG>
To: <SCULLEN-NEWS@LISTSERV.IPSD.ORG>
Subject: [SCULLEN-NEWS] IPPC Legislative Alert: Act Now!
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:51:39 -0400
Update:
H.R.6707 passed out of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee this morning and will proceed to the House for broader consideration. That said, it is still important to contact House leaders to ensure this measure is voted upon before Congress adjourns.
204 E-News: Proposed Rail Line Purchase
Indian Prairie Superintendent Dr. Stephen Daeschner spoke at a recent Surface Transportation Board hearing regarding the proposed purchase of the EJ and E rail line by Canadian National. Dr. Daeschner addressed the impact that increased rail traffic will have on the district's transportation system.
As the third largest district in the state, Indian Prairie transports 17,500 students each day. The rail line in question stretches more than 11 miles through the district with seven schools located within a half-mile of the tracks. There are two grade-level crossings of particular concern. School buses cross the Ogden Avenue tracks a total of 164 times each day and the Montgomery Avenue tracks 139 times each day. If the proposed sale goes through, there is an expected increase not only in the number of trains traveling though the community, but also in train length. Gate closures are anticipated to increase up to 10 minutes per train. Delays created by rail traffic will impact students arrival to school as well as their timely return home.
There are several ways community members can voice their concerns about the proposed rail purchase.
Contact Congress regarding H.R. 6707, a bill entitling federal authorities to deny approval of rail purchases when public costs outweigh transportation benefits and to impose strict mitigation conditions upon any approved purchase after August 1, 2008. More information on H.R.6707 is online at:
frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6707ih.txt.pdf
Contact the following House legislators and ask them to Pass H.R. 6707 before Congress adjourns:
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar, 202-225-6211
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, www.speaker.gov/contact
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, www.majorityleader.gov/email_and_rss/email_the_leader
House Minority Leader John Boehner, republicanleader.house.gov/Contact/
U.S. Representative Judy Biggert, judybiggert.house.gov/ContactJudy.aspx
Community members also have until September 30 to contact the Surface Transportation Board regarding their assessment of the proposed purchase. This is the final opportunity to voice an opinion before the STB rules on this matter. You must reference Docket No. FD-35087 when you contact the STB in one of the following ways:
Submit electronic comments at: www.stb.dot.gov/Ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/incoming?OpenForm
Call 1-800-347-0689 and leave a recorded message.
**************************************************
You are receiving this message because you have subscribed to SCULLEN-NEWS.
To unsubscribe, send an email to SCULLEN-NEWS-unsubscribe-request@LISTSERV.IPSD.ORG
, what else can happend?
. there's no doubt that Dr. D would change start times IF he could but it won't happen due to circumstances beyond his control (namely sports and conference play).
