Lakeville neighbors want empty railcars moved

[Chuck]

Tina wrote:

I totally agree with you Terri. Progressive legally can store those rail cars, why can't they be accountable for their property. They promised the residents in that neighborhood via, email from Mr. Mielke, back in the spring that those green box cars would arrive lockied and secured. That did not happen. Now we have a regular police patrol and several of us our left to question suspicious activity. I am glad someone in this neighborhood isn't afraid to speak up for us and is concerned for everyones well being.

If you people didn't build next to them there wouldn't be a need for regular police patrol or your kids wouldn't be there causing trouble. The rail company did not cause the trouble...people did clueless one!

[Tina]

Mike wrote:

What the media does not report is the woman in this story is trespassing herself. Her family has created a recreational fire pit on the railroad track side of the berm put in when their homes were built next to the pre existing tracks. The modifications they did to the berm and the fire pit itself are on railroad property. That fact is not mentioned, nor is it mentioned that this woman lied out right when she said she saw teenager derail a parked railcar. She made that comment on TV news, no one questioned it and the reporter who did the story did not care to make a correction. This meeting is a waste of time, the railcars are not going anywhere, no matter what the residents or the city want. The tracks are legally being used, there is nothing to discuss.
***Note: I am not an employee, but a friend of one who is and gives me his side of the story as well.

Dear Mike
I am neighbor of Pam's and I know that the landscaping they have donein back is on their property and I am sure she would welcome you to check the property stakes in her backyard at anytime as they are still there. So get your facts straight Mike. The fire pit questionable but their are many along the tracks that have the same type of deal, or a dumping ground so to speak. I know they at least keep that area maintained, which Progressive does not seem to do at all even though it is their property
The whole reason she even got involved in this mess, was her son who has medical issues was stuck on a bus for over an hour one afternoon because Progessive was moving their trains. She was on the phone with local police to find out the hold up. The Lakeville police department informed her after talking with Progressive Rail, they had unhooked train cars that they thought local teens had done. So that is not lying it came from LPD and Progressive about the rail cars. So I guess we just set the record straight. Now several of us neighbors are on patrol for activity that is happening on Jasper and Jaguar with open box cars. We have the right to protect our neighborhood and to hold Progressive Rail accountable.

[oxboro]

Tina wrote:

<quoted text>
Dear Mike
I am neighbor of Pam's and I know that the landscaping they have donein back is on their property and I am sure she would welcome you to check the property stakes in her backyard at anytime as they are still there. So get your facts straight Mike. The fire pit questionable but their are many along the tracks that have the same type of deal, or a dumping ground so to speak. I know they at least keep that area maintained, which Progressive does not seem to do at all even though it is their property
The whole reason she even got involved in this mess, was her son who has medical issues was stuck on a bus for over an hour one afternoon because Progessive was moving their trains. She was on the phone with local police to find out the hold up. The Lakeville police department informed her after talking with Progressive Rail, they had unhooked train cars that they thought local teens had done. So that is not lying it came from LPD and Progressive about the rail cars. So I guess we just set the record straight. Now several of us neighbors are on patrol for activity that is happening on Jasper and Jaguar with open box cars. We have the right to protect our neighborhood and to hold Progressive Rail accountable.

its called "parenting" practice it

[Dave]

Tina wrote:

<quoted text>
Really Dave have you seen the young adults that frequent the open box cars off of Jaguar and Jasper.I believe several citations have been issued. I do not see anything wrong with protecting our family and homes. And there is that lovely looking cooridoor of 50, if you think that looks good you are from another planet. Economic sacrifices, what about the ones trying to sell homes here who have lost jobs etc. The trains are very attractive incentive.

Yes Tina I think it looks like crap along 50 but then call it what it is. You just don't like the look of them in your backyard. "The young adults that frequent" the area are no different then the ones who hang out at every city park in Lakeville after dark. Also these are the kids of your neighbors, maybe not your direct nieghbors but other Lakeville youth. They are not kids driving out from the inner city to deal drugs in some boxcar in Lakeville. I know people are trying to sell their homes and may have lost their jobs but really that's not Progressive Rail's fault. If they have promised the cars would be locked and they are not then they should lock them but that's about it.

[IrishMN]

Best wishes to all of the home owners on this one.

[highland guy]

Maybe the railroad should just put up a 20-foot high fence along their property, so the neighbors don't have to look at the trains.

[oxboro]

you can always tell when a train has been by..you can see its tracks

[Throw WallStInJail]

Those tracks were there before those houses were. Don't like the cars there? Sell your house!

WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE TO TELL THAT COMPANY WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO WITH THEIR PROPERTY!

[Throw WallStInJail]

THE PARENTS SHOULD WATCH THEIR KIDS AND TELL THEM THOSE CARS ARE NOT A PLAYGROUND?!

[Nancy]

Wow...the negative comments on here are unbelievable! Seems like some very negative train company comments. I think the smartest comment I heard on this issue was from the Mayor of Lakeville, Holly Dahl, a few months back. I was watching a City Council meeting when Holly was talking about the train storage in Lakeville and she said, "yes, it's true the train tracks were here way back when...before Lakeville was developed...but now Lakeville is developed and there are homes and people and Progressive should try to work with the city and it's residents." It's important for all to understand that these tracks have been abondoned for almost 20 years. Now they are being used for STORAGE. Time for all the negative comments to stop & for Progressive to work with the residents of Lakeville.

[oxboro]

sounds like people in this neighborhood have nothing major to worry about in their lives

[badgerone]

Don't like trains then don't buy a house next to the tracks

[Nancy]

Oxboro...I don't live in one of these neighborhoods. I'm not even sure where these neighborhoods are. I am, however, a resident of Lakeville that drives the main hwyway through our beautiful town and I see the ugly storage daily. My child looks out the car window to see bad words and symbols on the trains. That is something for all of Lakeville to worry about. I just think train storage should take place away from residential areas.

[Milkman]

Just amazing how many self rightrous people there are out there. I would say that most of you Pro Progressive bloggers have nothing better to do than getting yourself all jacked up writing about something that has nothing to do with you and your own miserable life. Or are you also friends of someone that works at a RR? If you actually live here in Lakeville and feel that way, just come to the meeting on 11/23 and look people in the face and make these same comments. It is amazing to some of us too that the tracks are being used like this now when we were assured by the city before buying a home close to them that they would not be put in use again. Also amazing that Fellon can continue to needle the community with his comment about "through trains" coming some day.

[HEY STUPID]

Milkman wrote:

Just amazing how many self rightrous people there are out there. I would say that most of you Pro Progressive bloggers have nothing better to do than getting yourself all jacked up writing about something that has nothing to do with you and your own miserable life. Or are you also friends of someone that works at a RR? If you actually live here in Lakeville and feel that way, just come to the meeting on 11/23 and look people in the face and make these same comments. It is amazing to some of us too that the tracks are being used like this now when we were assured by the city before buying a home close to them that they would not be put in use again. Also amazing that Fellon can continue to needle the community with his comment about "through trains" coming some day.

If you got a promise from the city when YOU bought your house. YOU are a LIAR!!!!!

[Nancy]

Let's try to be "Minnesota Nice" and work out a solution to the problem....not take stabs at each side :)

[Antlers Neighbor]

We live in the neighborhood in question. When we purchased our home we asked our agent many questions regarding the tracks and were told that we should consider ourselves lucky for every year the tracks weren't used. Having grown up around tracks I knew exactly what Progressive could use them for and we were in fact lucky for many years before the storage issue.
Some of our neighbors mean well, but are unfortunately responding over-emotionally while others don’t give a rip about the safety issues and just want the ugly cars out of their back yards. Some neighbors simply don’t care either way.
The most positive take I’ve heard on this is from a neighbor who could throw a rock from his patio door and hit a train car. He feels badly that some of our neighbors apparently had unprofessional realtors that didn’t explain what the metal rails next to their back yards were for. He likes the train cars, stating that they buffer the sound of traffic from the highway. He’s thinking about having a painting party so his kids can cover the graffiti with a seasonal mural.
It is feared that other neighbors may be doing more harm then good by emotionally reacting rather then responding in a constructive way. Being over-dramatic and demanding on the railroad company makes our neighborhood look like, well… a bunch of ninnies. For instance, my spouse and I cringed when one proud neighbor copied us all on an email she sent to Progressive, an email demanding that they move the rail cars out of our neighborhood. The almost immediate result was completely predictable: Progressive was happy to move out the newer, secured black tank cars…and replace them with unsecured rust buckets. Another neighbor keeps complaining about the "criminals" who come to check out the empty and accessible cars, making it seem as if organized crime has set up shop across the street from her. We'd get more empathy and respect out of the rest of the world if we'd tone down the emotions and stick to the facts.
Complaint: There are unsecured, open train cars on the tracks that attract minors from other areas of the community who drive here and park their cars so they can explore, make out, have sex or do drugs in the empty train cars. Some of our neighbors feel forced to supervise these youngsters and simply don’t like it. Solution: Progressive needs to secure the cars.
Complaint: No parent should be forced to listen to a beginner reader sound out the words written on the sides of these rail cars, rail cars that in another setting would go by too quickly to make out the graffiti. Solution: Ask Progressive to paint over said graffiti. If they do not have the time or resources, then may we, as a community paint some murals? Put the high school art students to work.
Complaint: Federal law stinks. Solution: Take it to your local politicians, in a factual, non-emotional manner.

[GLM]

Please don't move the railroad cars....I luv filling them up with my yard waste and other junk I don't need. Thanks Progressive Rail.:)

[oxboro]

Nancy wrote:

Oxboro...I don't live in one of these neighborhoods. I'm not even sure where these neighborhoods are. I am, however, a resident of Lakeville that drives the main hwyway through our beautiful town and I see the ugly storage daily. My child looks out the car window to see bad words and symbols on the trains. That is something for all of Lakeville to worry about. I just think train storage should take place away from residential areas.

I drive by these rail cars a couple times aweek sometimes more, yes they are an ugly site i agree, i have not seen any bad words written on them, and if there are, you cant protect your kids from ever from bad words anyway... The cars sit on private property and kids should be told to stay off them, i just think if these people have nothing else to complain about they have a pretty good life. On another mattter the people that got the Brunswick zone bowling alley placed in thsier backyards had a legitimate commplaint, the city absolutely did wrong by these people and i think its wrong.and no i do not live in that neighborhood

[wxyz123]

That's nice. I see all the rail company yahoos got some of their friends to post comments. Tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to buy some rusted out piece of junk motor homes, spray paint some graffiti on them and park them in front of the rail company execs' houses for, oh, maybe a year or so and see how they like it.

I have commented on this over and over again, and some of you will never get it. These people bought houses next to a train track, not a parking lot. The tracks were never intended to be a railcar storage yard...and the city of Lakeville agrees. It makes the town look like sh#@ to anyone passing by.

There is farmland south of the city with plenty of track for storage, why don't they store them there for a while? Furthermore, if companies are paying Progressive Rail to store the cars, Progressive Rail should require that the rusted out piece of crap cars should be painted by the owners and be respectable enough to store next to someone's house. It is just ridiculous that anyone would defend this junk stored in our town. Why don't YOU get a life and comment on something in your own neighborhood. Enough's enough. Move the cars.