Lakeville neighbors want empty railcars moved

Lakeville neighbors frustrated by the proximity of empty railroad cars to their homes will meet with the rail owners and city officials this month to discuss safety worries.

[Casy Jones]

Oh well the railroad was there long brfore any of the residents. Live with it

[It was a simple fix]

What a bunch of whiners.

[Karen]

There is no safety problem. The train tracks were there when they boguht their home and if they don't like it they should move.

[oxboro]

its called "parenting" keep your kids off someome elses property

[What the]

Why doesn't the neighborhood strike a deal with the rail yard that they will pay for lost revenue in return the rail owners will not store rail cars there.

[To bad so sad]

Can lakeville be moved away from the tracks? These idiots who no darn well they are buying a house close to the railroad and then cry about it are funny.
Please, will one of you say how this is a big plight. How when you bought your houses the tracks weren't a problem but now they are a risk to the community.
Quit trying to be a victim PAM. I have an idea why don't you and all your uppity neighbors patrol the area, kinda like a neighborhood watch. Oh wait you would rather whine and moan than do that, my bad.

[You go Girl]

I am in a similar situation. I bought a nice two bedroom and two bath home.

However, when I am outside I hear a loud noise. I looked up and saw it was an airplane.

I found out I live next to the airport. I want that pesky thing moved. You wanna know why, because kids are playing on and around the runway.

GET A LIFE

[litcanmnus]

uuuhhhh, I don't get it. These train cars are parked next to established local businesses, which do to the slow economy have excess inventory to store in them.

Golly, sounds like a political situation to me... where are the usual flamers? still asleep somewheres? maybe in said rail cars?

[Get a Life]

The tracks were there decades ago. Wait until the railroad starts running trains through to Savage. They will whine further.
I have a street in front of my house where kids play. It was there years before my house was built. Can someone please move stop the cars from driving by????

[Mike]

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.

[Jim in Downtown]

It isn't trains that are the problem in Lakeville but the storage of railroad cars alongside leafy neighborhoods. The problem is intractable because of the economic slowdown. There is simply no other place to store them. Unneeded airplanes are flown to the Arizona desert, you can't do that with railway cars.

[Show the Money]

It is simple the City of Lakeville should write a check to Progressive Rail for the lost of revenue, and another check to the owners of the rail cars for the differnce between storing them in Lakeville and the new location, and the cost of moving them to the new location.

[weird]

I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention...

Could you repeat that?

What a tool.

[highland guy]

when those tracks were put down, that WAS a rural area. Maybe the neighbors should paint them blue and give them names like the cartoon.

[Terri]

I've noticed that all these comments are from people who don't live in Lakeville. If you live in Lakeville, you've seen how long these trains have been lining our city streets for over a year now. From reading the article, you can see that these residents are not apposed to train that are doing normal business & moving. I'm sure when they bought their houses they were well aware of possible moving trains. These trains, which I see on a daily basis, on our City's main road through town (Kenwood Trail/Hwy 50) just sit there- graffiti riden, scrap metal cars that look like they will never be in service again. Do the tax payers of Lakeville need to pay for this "parking lot" for storage. Don't most companies have rail yard for this? And I don't think it's fair that Lakeville is paying for police to patrol this area...again perhaps Progress needs to keep them in a locked, fenced area. I say it's time for Progressive to be a good community business and work with the residents of Lakeville! It certainly isn't doing anything for their public relations.

[Bruce]

Sounds like there could be a compromise here somewhere.... a win-win for both the residents of Lakeville and Progressive Ral. Progressive could end up looking pretty good if they could move those cars. Maybe a good story would bring them some business?

[travrosty]

It's an eyesore for them so that is why they are whining. the whole deal about it being a "safety" issue is just a red herring. whenever someone doesnt like something, they always bring up "safety". It's a code word for I don't like it so you must take it down! I am sick of "safety" thats why we have a million laws in this state. "Safety". it's stupid. the homeowners should just live with it. its the railroads property, not theirs. safety laws are b.s.

[Dave]

I live in the area and they are not some big youth hangout, safety problem, or a danger to anyone. They are empty train cars that look really bad (like most)and they happen to be in a very nice area. That's it. People don't want to look at them. They shouldn't have bought a house that was right next to train tracks...It's like the people who live next to airport or a nuclear power plant. Nobody wants it in their backyard, unfortunately for them it is.

[Tina]

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.

[Tina]

Dave wrote:

I live in the area and they are not some big youth hangout, safety problem, or a danger to anyone. They are empty train cars that look really bad (like most)and they happen to be in a very nice area. That's it. People don't want to look at them. They shouldn't have bought a house that was right next to train tracks...It's like the people who live next to airport or a nuclear power plant. Nobody wants it in their backyard, unfortunately for them it is.

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.