Page 8C
November 14, 2018
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By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Forsyth rejected an offer
from Norfolk Southern
Railroad and DOT to
improve the Lee Street and
Tilt College crossings in
exchange for dosing the
crossing at Indian Springs
Drive. Council members
Mike Dodd, Melvin Law-
rence, Greg Goolsby and
Chris Hewett voted not
to close the crossing and
take the offer while Julius
Stroud and John Howard
abstained.
William Miller, repre-
senting Norfolk Southern,
and Kevin Cowan and
Michael Nash, represent-
ing DOT, came to city
council in early October
offering almost $1 mil-
lion for safety features and
upgrades to the Lee Street
and Tiff College cross-
ings if the city would close
the other two crossings in
the city limits, at Indian
Springs and Main Street.
Residents near the Main
Street crossing spoke about
the difficulties dosing that
crossing would cause them,
and it was acknowledged
that there are few safety
concerns about the Main
Street crossing. Developer
Otis Ingram asked that he
be reimbursed for re-doing
the roadway at the Main
Street crossing before Trac-
tor Supply opened ffthe
crossing is dosed.
Miller, Cowan and Nash
came back to council
offering about $675,000
for improvements if the
city would close only the
Indian Springs crossing.
Miller said funds would
be used to put a rubber-
ized substance between the
tracks and on the roadway
from the tracks to make
the crossing smoother.
Enhanced warning de-
vices would be added at the
crossings. They would leave
the Main Street crossing
alone.
"I can't understand why
we can't re-open one of the
two crossings we closed [if
we dose another crossing]"
said Dodd. "You're talking
about dosing 25 percent of
our crossings, putting more
traffic on Lee and Mize
Streets:'
Miller said engineering
standards have changed
since the crossings were
dosed. Now there must be
enough room for a tractor
trailer to clear the track,
and there is not enough
room at the old crossing
sites.
Indian Springs there
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is not enough storage for a
car to dear. A young driver,
even an adult, will panic if
a train is coming and a car
is coming. They don't know
what to do" said Nash
"The whole idea is to avoid
fatalities. It's all about safety.
I want to save lives in your
community. I know I speak
for Kevin and Will. You're
not the only community we
go to. It's not about holding
you hostage"
However, railroad and
DOT representatives
held firm that regardless
of safety issues at the Lee
Street and Tilt College
crossings, there would be
no assistance for the city
in improving them if the
city did not dose another
crossing.
The owners of Bryant's
Collision, which is at the
Indian Springs crossing
and would be hurt if it is
dosed, refuted Miller's con-
tention that there is little
traffic at the Indian Springs
crossing and that emergen-
cy vehicles don't use it.
"There's a lot of traffic,
including ambulances. It
brought us there for vis-
ibility and traffic" Bryant
said. "It will pr[tty much
dose us down [if you close
the crossing]."
He said the city police
have been writing a lot of
tickets to enforce the law at
the crossing and to make
drivers become aware of
the need for safety. He
noted that there have been
as many accidents at the
Tiff College crossing as at
the Indian Springs crossing.
He said many people use
the Indian Springs crossing
as a cut through to Monroe
County Hospital and other
places in town and will
have to travel almost a mile
to get to another crossing if
it closes.
When Dodd criticized
Georgia DOT says that an average of 12,000 cars cross the railroad tracks on Lee Street
v 0,4 k (l:)ko~o=/D;,= ,"~l;J.-.- oll)
If you participate in any of the programs
below, you may be eligible for lifeline
Forsyth Main Street
N Lee St. F0rsyth, GA 31029
www.faceb00k.q
(478) 994-7747
,# Medicaid
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
Supplemental Security Income (ssl)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit
Total household income equal to or less than 135%
Federal Poverty Guidelines
Lifeline is a non-transferable, federal benefit that makes voice or broadband service
Georgia DOT and Norfolk Southern offered Forsyth $675,000 in improvements for two q~
remaining crossings if it would give up this one on Indian Springs Drive. The closing would
hurt Bryant's Collision, pictured across the tracks, and inconvenience citizens who regularly:
use the crossing. .'
the railroad and DOT rep-
resentatives for their "carrot
and stick" offer, Miller said,
"More than that, you leave
it in the dust and you have
what you have."
Dodd persisted in asking
if there isn't some way to
re-open another crossing if
more affordable.The program is limited to one discount per household.An eligible household
may apply the monthly Lifeline discount to either broadband service or voice service but not both.
Lifeline customers also have the option to apply the discount to a service bundle, :such as home
phone and home internet'The Lifeline voice service also includes toll blocking to qualifying
customers without charge.
For more Information on Lifeline call 1-800-234-9473 Or visit their website at www.lifollnesupport.org
they close one. He said the
city had re-done Railroad
Avenue not long ago and
is pleased with the result.
He suggested the city and
DOT partner in re-doing
the crossings and maintain-
ing them.
"Gosh knows how many
millions that would cost:'
said Miller.
"We didn't spend millions
and we made a wonderful
street" said Dodd.
"Maybe the solution is to
get other engineers:' said
Stroud.
"Don't waste your time
and money:' said Miller.
"It's not going to happen"
"What's the next one you
want closed?" asked Dodd.
"There'll be a next one"
"We're being held hos-
tage:' said Stroud. "You
work for the state, right?
Why can't we work to-
gether?"
Cowan said that he had
explained in early October
that the funds DOT has to
improve railroad crossings
are federal funds and DOT
ranks all 12,000 crossings
in the state from 1 to 24
as to the probability of
an accident. The ranking
comes from visibility at the
crossing and gets bumped
up by how much traffic the
crossing has and how many
school buses use it. He said
he has 6,000 crossings on
his list that need improve-
ments in safe .
Cowan said that if the city
closes Indian Springs, work
will begin at LeeStreet and
Tiff College crossings in
five or six months. Oth-
erwise it would be at least
several years before any
funds would be considered
for improving crossings in
Forsyth. Nash said DOT
gets $9 million per year in ,
federal funds and distrib-
utes it to 6,000 crossings,
doing 20-25 per year. "
Wilson said the other
option is for the city to
make improvements to the
crossings itself. Miller said
the equipment alone for
the Tift College crossing
will cost $300,000. He said
they will need additional
circuitry along the track
to warn ofwhen a train is
coming.
Bryant said part of the
problem is trains keep
coming through faster and .
faster, often coming by
Bryant's Collision at 50-60 :
mph. "Can't you slow the
trains down as they come
through town?" He asked.
Howard said he abstained.
from the vote because he L:
wasn't sure but did not
want to lose any money ,
from the state and have ,i
to spend the city's money ,
where state money could
be used. Stroud said he ab- ,i
stained because there were :;
too many loose ends.
Goolsby said the main
problem is safety at the
Tiff College crossing and
he hopes the railroad will
reconsider helping with
safety features. He made
a motion to ask Norfolk
Southern to reconsider
helping increase safety at
the Tiff College crossing,
and the motion passed
unanimously.
"I appreciate your open
mindedness:' said Miller. -
"We're in Atlanta if you
want to come talk to us:'
