Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Commuter Rail Meetings Seek Public Opinion

Schedule Aims to Bring Colleyville Residents up to Speed on Plans

By Scott Price

Staff Writer

The Colleyville Commuter Rail Committee, appointed by the City Council, has had a series of meetings this month to get public input about the commuter rail that is expected to link Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport through Colleyville and Grapevine.

The meeting schedule is posted on the city’s Web site at www.colleyville.com, and meetings have been at various times to give people multiple opportunities to attend a meeting, committee members said. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, at the Colleyville Center, 5301 Riverwalk Drive. There may also be additional meetings scheduled, committee members said.

The committee is explaining to Colleyville residents that the Fort Worth Transportation Authority [The T] plans the commuter rail service to start in 2012.

"The purpose of this [the meetings] is to make sure everyone knows what we know so far," committee Chairman John Gooding said.

Gooding said the committee’s public information subcommittee planned the meetings.

"They did not feel the community was aware of the project and the impact," he said.

The meetings also give residents a chance to add their opinions to the discussion about the commuter rail.

"What do you want to do to mitigate the impact of that, and should we have a rail stop?" Gooding asked at one meeting.

Gooding said there are some things that can be done.

There are planned "quiet zones" at Colleyville’s three rail crossings at Bransford, Pleasant Run and John McCain. These zones would have safety arms that would allow trains to pass without blowing their horns.

Gooding said there could be evergreen trees planted along the rail line, and there could be a sound barrier, such as a wall. He said the city would have to find the funding for these projects.

Yvonne Gillium, who has lived in Colleyville 13 years, said she wants to know if the rail station will affect property values. She said sometimes rail stations aren’t maintained and can bring down values of nearby homes.

Gillium said she wanted to know how fuel costs would affect the commuter rail and the number of riders.

"Why can’t we get some of these answers from other places that already have commuter rail," she asked at a public meeting.

City officials have proposed a possible rail stop at Colleyville Boulevard and John McCain Road. The cost of a rail station would be equivalent to three-eighths cent of sales tax per year, city officials said. Right now that is $942,000. But the problem is that Colleyville’s sales tax is at the maximum amount of 8.25 percent.

"You look at all the factors. This is the most viable option," Gooding said.

If the City Council decides to have a rail stop, a bus system may be needed to take people to the rail station.

"Are we going to have a bus system?" Gooding asked. "Then how are we going to fund a bus system? There are a lot of other factors besides just the rail."

Bill and Betty Beckum, who have lived in Colleyville for 26 years, said they aren’t bothered by the noise of trains that pass by their house. They said the main concern for them is the cost of having a rail stop.

Betty Beckum said she wants to know how the commuter rail will affect traffic, and will the trains cause automobiles to have to stop often at crossings.

Committee members said the trains would usually be two to four cars long and would only require the safety arms at crossings to be down for about 30 seconds.

Bob Braasch, who has lived nine years in Colleyville, said it makes more sense for city residents to drive to downtown Grapevine and ride the commuter train there rather than spending nearly a million dollars a year.

"For a million dollars, it’s not worth the benefits," he said.

Braasch said the money could be spent on timing traffic lights to improve traffic flow, providing business incentives, and improving hike-and-bike trails in the city.

"If Colleyville is willing to spend $1 million per year, let’s look at other business incentives and community investments that more Colleyville residents will benefit from," he said.