Belvidere, Ill. (WIFR) - A small Boone County town is creating quite a large stir, causing the county board to work deep into the night to discuss a proposed Union Pacific rail connection.
The meeting went on past ten o'clock Wednesday night before the Boone County Board ultimately voted to send the proposal back to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Boone County Board Chairman Karl Johnson says that action was taken to make sure all adjacent landowners were notified of the proposed rail connection.
The owner of DeLong Co. Inc., out of Clinton, Wisconsin applied for a Special Use permit to build a Union Pacific rail connection in Garden Prairie. Bo DeLong says this will allow local farmers the ability to transport grain and corn more quickly to customers in the southern United States. The 122-acre project includes five grain bins, a grain elevator and looped rail track. While lawyers for DeLong promise quicker deliveries without noise or traffic issues; Garden Prairie resident Mike Hollander says there are plenty of reasons why he feels this rail connection is a bad idea.
"You don't have crossing guards on the railroad system, you don't have lights," says Hollander. "The pollution. If there's dumping there's no safeguards put into place for the contamination of the river. The devaluation of our homes is immense"
"It's coming in off of Highway 20, significantly far away from the crossroads where the Class 1A line already runs," said DeLong Co. Inc., Attorney Nathan J. Nobel. "So the idea of it slowing down traffic is probably slim to none. There's already plenty of other trains to slow down traffic that already currently go by that same rail."
Above is from: https://www.wifr.com/content/news/Boone-County-Board-sends-Rail-Connection-plan-back-to-Zoning-Board-497886381.html
Boone County Board considers controversial Garden Prairie railroad loop
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Posted: Oct 17, 2018 10:33 PM CDT
BOONE COUNTY - Boone County leaders consider adding on to an existing railroad. The farmer behind the push says it'll make things easier for him to transport grain.
But some residents say they have concerns about the plan, multiple spoke against a special permit for the rail loop at the board meeting Wednesday. They say it could negatively impact the community they live in.
"We don't know the intent, the real intent [of the loop]," said Garden Prairie resident Mike Hollander.
The Boone County Board considered the special use permit to allow The DeLong Company to begin construction on the controversial rail loop in Garden Prairie. But, sent the permit application back to the zoning board of appeals for further consideration.
Hollander, who lives across from the proposed project, says the loop could be damaging to their community.
"What is the truck traffic [going to be like]," asked Hollander. "The roads they have to give a waiver for the weight limit on the roads, we don't have crossing guards on the railroad system, we don't have lights, the pollution."
Those fighting for the rail loop say it wouldn't directly affect anyone negatively.
DeLong's attorney Nathan Noble says the purpose of the loop will be to haul around 120 rail carts of grain. He says DeLong made sure to let surrounding residents know about the project.
"My client would like to use it to, at this point, to haul some grain," said Noble. "He has gone out to almost every single adjacent property owner. This is the first night I heard any strong opposition."
Hollander says not enough notice was given and believes residents need more time to look into the intent of the rail loop.
"It's happening really fast," said Hollander. "No one had notice, we found out a week ago. There was no letters sent, people on Route 20 adjoining it never got letters. People on Garden Prairie Road never got letters."
Noble says his client hopes a decision can be made soon, adding as a farmer, it's a different way to make a living.
"The property has just been siting vacant and just used as farm land for a long period of time until my client became aware of it and became interested in pursuing to develop this rail loop."
The measure was sent back to the Boone County Zoning Board of Appeals on a vote of 8 to 4.
Above is from: https://www.mystateline.com/news/boone-county-board-considers-controversial-garden-prairie-railroad-loop/1532264996
