CSX plans are getting fair review

From The Worcester Telegram:
By: Nick Kotsopoulos Politics and the City

Despite how they are being portrayed by some, state Rep. Vincent A. Pedone, District 2 City Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and other East Side community leaders really do want to see CSX Corp. expand its Worcester freight yard and make it the new rail freight hub for New England.

While they have not been shy about raising issues related to the expansion plan, they don’t view themselves as obstructionists or a bunch of NIMBY yahoos. Instead, they simply want to make sure the expansion does not negatively impact the quality of life on the East Side.

You can’t blame them for that.

“This is our community and this (project) will change the face of our neighborhood and city for years to come,” Mr. Pedone said. “I want this project to happen because it will be good for Worcester, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our part of the city. We are working with the people at CSX on making changes to this plan for the better. They understand where we are coming from, and they have been accommodating and very reasonable.”

In fact, CSX has invited city officials and community leaders to Atlanta, at the company’s expense, to view the downtown freight yard it has in that city, so they can see firsthand how a state-of-the-art freight yard operates and the positive impact it can have on a community. City Manager Michael V. O’Brien said arrangements for that trip are in the works.

CSX wants to double the size of its freight yard on Franklin Street, from 23 acres to 51 acres. The $100 million project is part of a private-public partnership between the state and CSX to reposition its freight operations in Massachusetts, so the rail line between Worcester and Boston can be opened up to more commuter trains — as many as 20 more daily commuter trains by 2012.

To facilitate the expansion, CSX has to acquire 11 parcels of privately owned commercial properties near the existing freight yard, and acquire portions of public streets. Also, Putnam Lane, which connects Franklin Street to Shrewsbury Street, will have to be closed.

While much of the attention has focused on objections East Side residents have raised about the plan, city officials are also said to have an issue with the bridge to be built on Franklin Street, while state highway officials apparently have concerns about traffic on Grafton Street and access to Interstate 290 from the freight yard.

“This is not just about people of the East Side and the closing of Putnam Lane,” Mr. Pedone said. “We’re not the ones holding this up. Every level of government is involved and they have raised issues of their own, as well.”

Mr. Pedone, Mr. Palmieri and city officials have been quietly meeting with CSX officials to see if they can iron out the concerns that have been raised. The company is said to be spending “a significant amount of money” on developing alternative plans to address those concerns, especially the closing of Putnam Lane.

“The ball is moving forward,” Mr. Palmieri said. “We are diligently trying to reach some resolution. (CSX) is making a real effort, but I think it’s because we have finally gotten their attention. They’re hearing us now, and I don’t think that was the case before.”

Meanwhile, Gary J. Vecchio, president of the Shrewsbury Street Neighborhood Association, said criticism that he and other East Side community leaders have received about objections they have raised about the CSX plan is unfair. He said neighborhood residents aren’t looking to block the plan, they only want to make it better.

“I’ve never seen the entire East Side of the city so united on an issue like this,” Mr. Vecchio said. “The things we are asking for are not unreasonable; they are only meant to make this plan better for everyone.”