<http://files.icontact.com/templates/v2/Divided/images/roundedTop.gif> AHEAD-Iowa Presents Concerns About the Heartland Co-op Rail Spur to the IDOT Transportation Commission <https://staticapp.icpsc.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/1469663/0968e483585a9d 0a465c2f2b7b41d30b/image/jpeg> Dear Irene What happens when two large companies (i.e. Heartland Co-op and the BNSF Railway) partner to build a railspur (side rail) and neglect to take into consideration all the details of the infrastructure requirements needed to serve the railspur? And what happens when one of those companies (Heartland Co-op) applies to the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) for a $1.45 million interest-free loan to build the railspur, and fails to mention that the semi trucks serving the rail facility from the north will have to pass through a one-lane structurally deficient underpass on a gravel road--or the streets of Fairfield, IA? Well, we may be about to find out. On Tuesday, June 10, members of AHEAD-Iowa and James Larew, the legal counsel for AHEAD, made a presentation to the IDOT Transportation Commission, a seven-member board, which includes former U.S. Congressman Leonard Boswell, charged with administering the application process for the IDOT rail grant program, among other things. AHEAD-Iowa was able to present at this meeting, because of the significant infrastructure concerns pointed out to the IDOT rail transportation office on a previous occasion. <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Ffairfield-ledger-on-ahea d-iowa-meeting-with-idot-transportation-commission%2F> Great Coverage of the Meeting in the Fairfield Ledger! The IDOT meeting was covered in an article that appeared on the front page of the Fairfield Ledger on Friday, June 13. You can read excerpts from it on our website <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Ffairfield-ledger-on-ahea d-iowa-meeting-with-idot-transportation-commission%2F> (see also link to full story there). Concerns covered at the meeting included: * Infrastructure Overload: The proposed Heartland Co-op facility could be receiving as many as 40,000 truck loads of grain a year, or 80,000 to and fro trips. Even at 75% capacity, that's 60,000 to and fro trips a year, some 60 to 70% of which will be concentrated in the 30-40 day harvest season. * No Feasible Access for Truck from North Counties. Trucks from Keokuk county, Washington county and NW Henry, and NE Wappello county will not easily be able to access the facility via Highway 34. The main access available to them -- other than city streets -- is via Nutmeg avenue, a gravel road with a narrow one-lane underpass. * Nutmeg Underpass Is a Traffic Fatality Waiting to Happen! The underpass is a one-lane passage under a rail bridge that has been rated structurally deficient. On the roads leading to and fro, there is barely room for a car and semi truck to pass each other, not to mention two huge semi trucks. During peak season, as many as 15-20 trucks an hour could be passing under that underpass. What Comes Next? <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Fsign-our-petitions%2F> Getting BNSF and Heartland Petitions Ready Next step is to present our petitions to the BNSF and Heartland Co-op along with a letter warning of the potential liability and nuisance suit risks they are exposing themselves to. We want to get as many signatures as possible--along with your comments! Here's what to do: Go to our website to add your name to the petitions -- it's quick and easy! If you have already added your name, be sure to also add your comments, so we can include input from as many people as possible! What Comes Next? Tell Your Elected Officials: Stop Looking the Other Way Our elected officials claim they have been doing their due diligence and the facility is no big deal. But they are not comparing apples to apples. At full capacity, the proposed facility is projected to handle a much larger volume of grain than Heartland's facilities of comparable size in the Des Moines area. This means a larger volume of trucks and grain dust emissions. How do we know this? The proposed facility is listed as a Group 2 elevator in Heartland Co-op's application to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Heartland's other grain elevators, including a 4.2 mill bushel elevator in Minburn and a 3.8 mill bushel elevator in Prairie City close to Des Moines are both Group 1 elevators. This means they may be similar size in terms of storage capacity, but in terms of grain handling, the volume is far less. The projected potential to emit particulate matter in Heartland's DNR application is at 28.5 tons a year. In comparison, a Group 1 elevator emits between 0 to 15 tons a year. By that standard alone, the volume of grain shipped to and processed at Heartland (judged by potential grain dust emissions) could be more than twice the volume at other HL grain elevators. How to Stay Involved! There are many things you can do that will add up to make a big difference! Sign our petitions <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Fsign-our-petitions%2F> and add your comments. Write letters to your elected official and/or to the Fairfield Ledger asking them to look into the issues above. As a community, the more we act in a united front around the issues, the greater the effect! .......................................... A monkey on a tree hurled a coconut at the head of a Sufi. The man picked it up, drank the milk, ate the flesh and made a bowl from the shell. - from Anthony de Mello's Song of the Bird. Even though we're not Sufis, we can make full use of whatever comes. Join us to explore ways to turn lemons into lemonade. Volunteer! If you'd like to help spread the word or volunteer in other ways, please send us an email at <mailto:i...@ahead-iowa.org> i...@ahead-iowa.org. We'd love to hear from you! <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAHEADIowa> Like us on Facebook! <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAHEADIowa> <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAHEADIowa> <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAHEADIowa> Like us on Facebook and get notified about news and updates! <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Fsign-our-petitions%2F> Just Say No! <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Fsign-our-petitions%2F> No Taxpayer Dollars to Heartland! Help us persuade the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, the BNSF Railway Company, and Heartland Co-op's Board of Directors that the proposed location is unacceptable, because of the infrastructure costs and safety concerns it creates. <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5364435&msgid=33792&act=1K0M&c=14 69663&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahead-iowa.org%2Fsign-our-petitions%2F> Click Here to Read and Sign our Petitions <http://files.icontact.com/templates/v2/Divided/images/roundedBottom.gif>
[FairfieldLife] Great News! AHEAD-Iowa Presents Heartland Co-op Rail Spur Concerns to the Iowa Department of Transportation
'Rick Archer' r...@searchsummit.com [FairfieldLife] Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:38:22 -0700
