November 22, 2009
What's Inside:
Sounds of silence to roll through Downtown
Council approves ordinance creating quiet zone
Council approves ordinance creating quiet zone
Downtown residents can look forward to a little bit of peace and quiet.
The sound of train whistles has kept hotel guests awake, disrupted business meetings and scared pets ever since the railroad came to Downtown. Two years ago, city staff began a process that would let the trains pass through St. Joseph’s core without blowing their whistles.
City Council postponed the ordinance once and threatened to again Monday night before it changed course and unanimously approved the plan. The city, BNSF Railway Co. and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission will close three railroad crossings and modify two others to establish a railroad quiet zone Downtown.
The city will not pay a single dollar for the project. The Missouri Department of Transportation would pay part of the costs, while credits from BNSF Railway for closing three crossings would cover the city’s portion of the bill.
Concerns from one of St. Joseph’s oldest businesses stimulated debate from the council.
Rick Gilmore, owner of Seaman & Schuske Metal Works, said he worried that the closure of a railroad crossing on Mitchell Avenue could threaten his business, which opened in 1870 and has operated at the corner of Fourth Street and Mitchell since 1939.
“We believe the closing of Mitchell will have a direct impact on the ability for Seaman & Schuske to remain competitive,” he said.
Mr. Gilmore said he favored the idea of a quiet zone, but not the $1 million-plus he estimated his company would lose over the next 15 years. He argued that a neighboring business frequently blocked his access to Fourth Street, which would leave him with no way in or out if the railroad crossing was closed, blocking him from Sixth Street.
Council members considered putting off the vote for two weeks so city staff could work to find a solution to Mr. Gilmore’s problem.
“It’s very rare that we have a 139-year-old business,” Mayor Ken Shearin said. “We’ve destroyed enough of our history in this town.”
Clint Thompson, city director of planning and community development, pitched an alternate plan during a Planning and Zoning Committee meeting in November. Instead of closing the Mitchell Avenue crossing, workers would upgrade the crossing signal and install medians on each side to prevent traffic from driving around the crossing gates. The alternate would cost $200,898.
Councilman Roger Baker urged the council not to put off the vote for another two weeks.
“We postponed it at the last meeting and now you want to postpone it again,” Mr. Baker said. “These things always get down to the very end and then we don’t get it done.”
The council passed the vote under the assumption that city staff will work with Mr. Gilmore to find ways to lessen the impact on his business.
Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.
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just one question. how long has there been a railroad presence in downtown joetown?
I love hearing the trains. It's part of living here.
mom..... i love them, also!!!!! i must have a little hobo in me, but i think they are romantic and haunting.
another way to close down a business shame shame
Unbelieveable...my grandmother's house was practically on the tracks. She lived in Forest City and I loved riding the passenger train from St. Joe to her house. When the trains passed at night it rocked the house!! Those were some great times!
I work and live downtown and have never been bothered by the train whistles. Maybe I was Harry McClintock in a previous life.
Wonder where Mr. Gilmore lives??? As a Museum resident, I can assure the readers that an ever increasing number of coal trains is a nuisance, to say the least. I think if Mr. Gilmore is concerned about losing over $1 million dollars, then he shouldn't object to paying the mere $200K to fix the crossing near his business so the train can pass without blowing the whistles as a warning and we and all the guests at the Holiday Inn can get a decent night's rest.
I used to live in the historic district on top of the hill right behind the law enforcement center and can tell you the trains never kept me from getting a decent night's rest. Anyone who knows anything about trains knows that blowing the whistle is a safety factor & regardless of the lights, crossing guards, etc is part of keeping citizens safe. Here's a novel idea--why doesn't the hotel install soundproof glass on the side of the building where people sleep? As long as the hotel has been there and all of the events they continue to book, I think they're making money. If they were losing so much to hotels on the Belt, they'd have closed a long time ago. The same people who are complaining about it now will start whining when someone gets killed by a train they didn't hear coming. Whiners not Doers!! Be grateful for what you have in your community!!
please...... didn't the holiday inn notice there was a railroad behind them????? gimme shelter.
Sounds like a scene out of "My Cousin Vinny".
i see the bnsf is involved in the quiet zone. where is the union pacific in this? they also travel through the city. while working in washington , mo. i saw where they also had a quiet zone for their city. it seemed to work ok. the people of the city knew of the ordinance and all talked about it so the citizen,s had knowledge that they were to be more carfull of crossings. i dont know what other then the sign,s that were posted to tell out of towner,s like myself were posted at all crossings. i think this would be enough to insure protecting to the people of the city. now as far as the love of the train wistle for nastalgic reason, buy a wistle that makes train noise,s ,you wont distrupt anyone,s sleep unless you walk the halls of holliday inn., if you do, im sure you will be kicked out.
Doesnt our city council have more important things to do than worry about the trains making noise? These trains have been going thru here since I was born and this is the first time I can remember anybody worring about noise. I live where about 2 miles from my house there is a crossing and there are no lights or arms that come down and they blow the whistle for quite a long time and I hear it clear at my house but it doesnt seam to bother anybody and as of safety where is our lights and arms that come down when the train comes thru this intersection? This is just plain dumb leave the crossings open and do not mess with a companys bussiness and the jobs it will lose if the company loses this much money because of closing the crossing, do we not remember how bad the economy is and do we want to lose more jobs? Wake up city council and city hall.
The train tracks were there when they built the hotel and when most people that live by them moved there. If they didn't ,or don't, like the noise they should have moved or built in another location.
Once again we allow politics to run our lives or take our lives. What makes a person think that just because the crossing lights & guards work that there is no train approaching them without the sound of a horn. The sound of the train horn is more distinctive than that of a car or truck. Ask any family member who has lost a member due to a train accident if they would like a silent train running thru their town. Please people if you don't like it move. My in-laws have lived next to a railroad track for 68 yrs and have never complained about the noise. They now complain when I don't use my train horn as I go thru his town to say "Hello."
It's so hard to keep a good attitude toward this town. Why is the city going to so much trouble for 1 hotel? I can't believe we're still dealing with this issue - did the hotel think the train tracks would move because they built there? If I had a choice of railroad or interstate to be in my back yard I'd pick the RR. Or wait, does the hotel want the interstate moved too?
The first train rolled in to town February 14, 1859 on the Hannibal-St Joseph RR. John Patee sold the land to the railroad - roughly 6th to 8th, Olive south and they built a small depot, engine shed, and a machine shop. The machine shop still stands - it is the little brick building that sits askew by the tracks - one of our first RR buildings built and the last historic one we have...alas, I digress.
Trains have been tooting their whistles through this town for 150 years...
Getting rid of train whistles in a western town (named #1 Top Western Town by True West Mag as I recall) would be akin to tearing down the Pony Express Stables in a town where the Pony Express began!
Let's get a peition started why don't we? Saint Joe has always been a town of trains. People the trains are still gonna be noisy (the rumbling of the tracks the noises of the engines) so whats the big idea of killing beautiful sounding air horns? Quiet zone in St. Joe? That's crazy. Let's peition the city council! Take action!
maybe we can all sing "nighttime on the city of new orleans" at the next meeting!
yeah, that's the ticket. i am sitting here listening to the lonesome whistle now..... "and the steel rails still ain't heard the news...passin' trains that have no names.......
the holiday inn would be better off cleaning those stinky dank rooms of theirs.
I have stayed at holiday inn several times(on the side of the tracks) and have never been woke up by the trains!! And as for cleaning the rooms, i would like to see you do that job for just 1 day!!!!! Dont like the rooms...dont stay there!
I love the sound of the train whistle, its a reminder of St Joes nostalgia and history- Seriously... This town has enough problems and people are now taking this away?? Amazing.
Build a Hotel next to RR tracks that have been there for 150 years then complain about the Whistles that keep crossings safe, Ignorance at it's best !!!
When the Holiday Inn was out at I29 and Fredrick they did not have a problem taking the money for the railroaders that stayed there. Believe me they were making a mint for BN then.
joketown, i mis - characterized the condition of the rooms. the matter is not to do with the personell who clean them and everything to do with the dichotomy between the nicely re-decorated lobby and the old and out dated room decor. when we stayed there ( admittedly 3 years ago) the sink in the room was coming off the wall, the water pressure was abysmal, and the room had a distinctively unpleasant odor. the bedding was less than clean.........
i know how hard housekeepers work, and always try to be fair in leaving a tip for their efforts.
my point is that the holiday inn is not much of an "ambassador" for downtown as far as first impressions.
It would make sense if the parties that want the quiet zone would pony up some money for quad gates so as not to cost existing businesses unnecessary dollars. We need good paying jobs in this town that pay a livable wage. Why should the affected business be expected to pay just to keep the status quo. I have to wonder about the safety of this as well. The city has steamrolled over their constituency and invoked their will, like it or not.