CN Railroad Updates & Information

CN Railroad Updates

Canadian National Railroad Updates

In this section of the website we will keep you updated with any information regarding CN. This includes any noise mitigation issues we are addressing with the railroad.

9/1/15 CN SCREENING COMPLETION!

The Dyer Town Council voted 4-1 to fund the completion of the CN screening project. We thank Council members Debbie Astor, Mary Tanis, Connie Trepton and Joe Cinko for their support of this project. (Council member Jeff Dekker opposed every support vote to move the Screening Project forward.)

The CN screening project planted evergreen trees from the Dyer ditch, on the east side of Hearthstone, all the way to Calumet Ave, in the Rockwell subdivision. As the trees mature they will provide an lasting sight barrier and some sound dampening benefits from the CN trains.

A media event is scheduled for August 18, 2015. Tentatively the event is at 6pm and the location will be in the Hearthstone subdivision. Please email us using the “Contact” section of our website to let us know if you’re attending and we will make sure you get the confirmed time and location. Below is the link to the article about the event:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/dyer-marks-completion-of-project-screening-tracks/article_2fe7ed13-2bb4-5c2f-923a-2a8f9213181e.html

10/28/14 CN SCREENING UPDATE

New article posted in The Times about the screening project:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/dyer/article_85a0092a-8be6-53df-a326-bc6bafeab9f0.html

8/3/14 CN SCREENING UPDATE

New article posted in The Times about the screening project:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/dyer/article_b5f8336e-1e08-537d-9a26-db6d7fcfc8a2.html

7/15/14 ENGINEERING STUDY APPROVED AND PROJECT SENT OUT TO BID

On Thursday, July 10 the town council voted to approve Burke Engineerings specifications for the CN screening project and post these specs out for bids. Dough Gotham is the landscape Architect at Burke Engineering and he came up with a computer generated layout of trees that would maximize the coverage of the railroad and fit on the easements. Attached are the documents Doug created. You will see on these documents that the project is recommended being broken down into three phases and there will be several varieties of evergreens that will be used. The town has elected to include Briar Crossing on the North side of the tracks in this project also.

Here is a timeline Rick Eberly came up with for how the next phases in this process should go and the dates these phases should take place:

July 10^th Council authorizes putting the project (phase 1) out to bid

July 17^th bids advertised for first time

July 24^th bids advertised for second time

August 7^th bids are due and are opened at town hall

August 14^th council awards bid

Mid September project begins

Please click the links below for the site plan PDF’s:

Site Plan 1

Site Plan 2

4/11/14 FOLLOW UP TO TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

The Rockwell and Hearthstone Home Owners Associations is pleased to report:

The Dyer Town Council voted at their April 10th Council Meeting to request the Economic Development Commission (EDC) to return $180,000 of CN funds back to the Dyer Council, to fund a visual and sound barrier of trees along the CN railroad track in Rockwell and Hearthstone.

Council Members voting in favor:

Debbie Astor

Joe Cinko

Mary Tanis

Connee Trepton

Council Member voting against:

Jeff Dekker

In addition, the Town of Dyer is applying for a $20,000 CN grant to further fund this project.

The EDC will vote on the Council’s $180,000 funding request at their meeting: Monday, April 14, 7 PM, in the Dyer Town Hall Council Room. This meeting is open to the public.

4/6/14 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY APRIL 10TH @ 6:00 PM

A reminder the Dyer Town Council will vote on a CN mitigation funding measure at the Council Meeting this Thursday, April 10, 6 PM in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall.

The large turnout at the last meetings made a big impression on the Town Council and definitely impacts their decisions to fund a visual/sound barrier between the railroad and our homes. Those who attended the last meeting will recall the town attorney raising questions about the EDC (Economic Development Commission) using funds they received from CN for our mitigation cause. The attorney has now confirmed that the EDC can legally return this money to the Dyer Town Council and be used for our mitigation purpose.

We feel momentum is moving in our direction and feel confidence that the majority of the Council will vote in our favor at their April 10 meeting.

If all goes well, the following will potentially occur:

1. The Council votes to direct the EDC to move up to $200,000 from their fund (money from CN), back to the Dyer Council at the April 10 Council Meeting.

2. The EDC will vote at their April 14 meeting to redirect the CN money, up to $200,000, back to the Dyer Council general fund.

All this means that it is possible that funding will be directed for our CN mitigation cause within the next week or so.

Your attendance at the Thursday, April 10 (6 PM) and Monday, April 14 (7 PM) meetings will speak clearly to the Town Council and the EDC the importance of funding this project.

Note: Several town officials indicated the importance that attendees to these meetings be respectful and refrain from speaking out during these meetings. Your cooperation is appreciated.. Thank you.

3/30/14 FOLLOW UP TO TOWN COUNCIL STUDY SESSION

We’d like to thank everyone that attended the meeting last night and for all your help in getting others to attend. I feel that our large turnouts will get our town government to find a way to fund our project. We must keep the pressure on them. There will be at least one more council meeting, in the near future, where our project will have to be voted on. We are hoping that when that time comes we can again count on everyones support. This next council meeting can be as early as two weeks from now and Mark and I will keep everyone informed of what is transpiring.

In light of yesterdays meeting, we have drafted the following follow up letter to the members of the town council. We felt there were a couple issues that needed to be clarified and work that the town council needs to start on to find the true cost of the project.

Again, Thank You for all your support.

Members of the Dyer Town Council:

Thank you for your allowing us to bring our CN mitigation need to your Council Study Session last night.

We came away with several thoughts, that we would like to share with you.

1. The town’s attorney brought two possible additional cost items to our attention: An engineering study and Dyer LPAagreement. We need to determine if this tree project would or could be waived by the LPA agreement or if the union will enforce the agreement, and determine what engineering studies will cost.

2. Once the additional costs of a possible LPA agreement and engineering study have been added to the proposals (roughly $200,000), we will know with fair certainty the final cost of the project.

3. Our community constituents want to see the Council make decisions on how to fund the project, whether through letter requests to the EDC (CN money) & RDC commissions, reserve funds, and/or CN grant money, at their April 10 Council Meeting.

We respectfully ask for your timely consideration and appreciate any thoughts and suggestions as we forward.

3/14/14 CRITICAL DYER TOWN COUNCIL MEETING ON THURSDAY, MARCH 27th

The Hearthstone and Rockwell Homeowners Associations strongly urges every homeowner to attend. This is a critical meeting with the Dyer Town Council to fund rail road mitigation, a follow-up to the November meeting. However this meeting is more critical and urgent. The Town Council will consider funding the project, but the Town Council needs to see a strong show of support by your presence.

DYER TOWN HALL, COUNCIL MEETING ROOM

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014

6:00 PM

Questions? Bryan Oberc (219) 781-4539 or Mark Drenth (708) 341-5534

11/17/13

Thank you everybody who attended the Dyer Town Council study session. We had a great turnout and feel the council will take steps to help us. Below is a link for the article that was published in the NWI Times:

CN article in NWI Times ‎

10/5/2013

Please click the link below to review a document regarding noise mitigation that will affect our subdivision:

CN Mitigation Document

CN Railroad Updates & Information