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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-12-08 5:30PM PUBLIC HERINGr: BRAZOS COUNTY BRYAN,TEXAS PUBLIC HEARING X14Ot IZ BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT Monday December 8, 2014 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014 AT 5:30PM IN ASSEMBLY ROOM 2 OF THE BRAZOS CENTER, 3232 BRIARCREST DR., BRYAN, TX 77803. The court will hear a presentation by Union Pacific Railroad and county staff concerning a proposed railroad siding in the Wellborn area and proposed roadway plans at Greens Prairie Trail, Straub Road, Wade Road and along FM 2154. This new siding will require reconfiguration of the existing railroad crossings. This will consist of a new rail crossing and traffic signal at Greens Prairie Trail and Wellborn Road (FM 2154) along with rail crossing closures at Straub Road and Wade Road. All interested parties are invited to attend said presentation and informational open house which will follow. Citizens will be encouraged to provide comments. Comments will be limited to three minutes, and citizens will be allowed to speak only once. The Brazos Center. 3232 Bnaraast Or., Assembly Roan 2, Bryan, TX 77802 is wheesmeir accessible. Handicap Pahang spaces are available. Any repuest for sign interpresve services must be made rwa working days WsM the meedrp. To mesa arrangements, please call (979) 3814102. Vol. 213 Pg. /i BRAZOSCOUNTY BRYAN,TEXAS MINUTES December 8, 2014 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT PUBLIC HEARING IL. File Stamped Aoenda.pdf LI9 Sian in sheets.0f The Commissioners' Court of Brazos County, Texas held a Public Hearing at the Brazos Center in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 2014, with the following members of the Court present: Duane Peters, County Judge, Presiding; Lloyd Wassermann, Commissioner of Precinct 1; Sammy Catalena, Commissioner of Precinct 2; Kenny Mallard, Commissioner of Precinct 3, Absent; Irma Cauley, Commissioner of Precinct 4; Karen McQueen, County Clerk. Attached is a list of the citizens and officials in attendance. r-Z Greens Prairie Trail Extension Project Map.odf The purpose of the meeting is to hear a presentation by Union Pacific Railroad and county staff concerning a proposed railroad siding in the Wellborn area and proposed roadway plans at Greens Prairie Trail, Straub Road, Wade Road and along FM 2154 and to hear commentary for or against. The County Judge called the meeting to order and asked Andrew Hudanish, Vol. 213 Pg. representative of Union Pacific Railroad to give his presentation first. Mr. Hudanish presented information on the siding project and reported that Straub and Wade Road would not be closed until the new Greens Prairie Trail Crossing is finished. He also stated that this project is critical and needed today. Allan Munger, County Engineer gave a short presentation next and stated that he feels the Greens Prairie Trail improvement is a good solution. At this time, the County Judge collected all of the public participation forms and began calling on citizens wishing to speak on the topic. Jonne Young - Asked the Court if any of them have ridden out to Straub Road. The Court members all answered yes. Commissioner Wassermann then read the latest traffic counts for Straub Road. Jim Thomas - Spoke in favor of the project. College Station is a fast growing community and we need to accept some changes. He feels this is a much better option that the first plan proposed. He also asked about plans for IG &N going to Holleman and said the road needed improvement. Doug White, Gary & Glenda Vezurk and Donnice White were all called and stated that they wanted to donate their time to Tyson Kennedy. Larry Young - He does not think this is a new project. The County just figured out a way for someone else to pay for it. He heard about plans for this 10 -12 years ago. Judge Peters said there was some discussion about improving Greens Prairie Trail some time ago but that the Railroad turned them down. Nancy Boller deferred her time to Bark Boller. Mark Boller - Spoke about safety issues and chemicals close to the school. Referenced Leona, Texas and the rapes committed by vagrants near the railroad. He thinks more patrol of the area would be needed and discussed property values decreasing. Mike Solomon - Spoke against the siding project. He asked why the Court came to the public with a plan that the County Engineer admits he did not like. He said he could agree to the plan for the new Greens Prairie Trail, but what is the plan if the County does not acquire the necessary land? He asked if the Court will then go back to the original plan that they didn't like in October? Judge Peters responded that the plan was presented by Union Pacific and that they worked to come up with the best compromise possible for the road closings. Mr. Solomon then asked when the County was first contacted by Union Pacific, to which the County Judge replied in February. Leah Smith - Asked for an estimate on when the construction of the new Greens Prairie Trail Crossing would be operational. The County Engineer replied August of 2015. She also wanted to know if the land has already been purchased and the County Judge answered no. Vol. 213 Pg. �3�� Dale Scott deferred his time. True Brown - He likes the plan but asked the Court to please do it and noted that people are watching. Andrew Hudanish, Union Pacific Railroad representative said he wanted to make it abundantly clear that the Railroad is committed to this project and ready to go. Tyson Kennedy read a prepared statement on behalf of the concerned residents of Saddle Creek. The closure of two roads and the installation of sidings is unacceptable. The County only began to evaluate the plan after the outcry from citizens. Safety should never be compromised and should not have strings attached. There should be screens attached to the siding. Proper consideration of school proximity, number of students and increased traffic should be considered. They are requesting an environmental and economic impact study be done. They want the siding moved farther south out of the CSISD jurisdiction and want one closing for one opening. The land has not been acquired for the Greens Prairie Trail Crossing and could take 2 -3 years. There is concern about the emergency services response time. There is a question about Wade Road being a private road and errors made by the County in acquiring it. Three crossings have been closed in Precinct 1 already. When is enough, enough? Why is Precinct 1 being targeted by Union Pacific? The County will need to improve the road in Duck Haven as a result of this siding project. How does this project fit in with College Station's 10 Year Development Plan? They will accept the closure of Straub Road in exchange for new Greens Prairie Crossing, to be completed before the closure of Straub Road. Community involvement and proper studies are needed. The Court and Andrew Hudanish responded to the statement read by Mr. Kennedy. Ross Windham - Lives in Duck Haven and is impacted in a different way. He does not appreciate the way this has been handled. He says Duck Haven cannot handle the extra traffic. The road is in poor condition and wants improvement. He believes the quiet zone will make the trains slower and asked how quickly a train will move through and if they will sit. Andrew Hudanish explained the process and that Union Pacific has asked the County to put this project on a fast track. They are not hiding anything. Jane Dirksen - Complained that her property value would decrease and asked the Court if they would want the siding by their home. Dan Daniel - Complained that the value of his business on Straub Road would decrease and he also leases land for cattle on Greens Prairie Trail. Amy Kennedy deferred her time to Tyson Kennedy. Tyson Kennedy asked why Wade Road cannot remain open. Andrew Hudanish explained that it would require upgrading the tracks. Judge Peters stressed that if the Court decides not to close Wade Road, then Union Pacific isn't going to help with Greens Prairie Trail and the community would be much worse off. Vo1.213 Pg. /�� Dale Burkhiser deferred his time. David Prior - He did not know about the first two meetings and communication is severely lacking. He feels the County should provide a written record of all the public meetings they have had with Union Pacific. Why this location? Is it in the best interest of the people of this area for the long term? Tommy Lyons - Suggested that another siding be added to the Millican site instead. It is working fine. Andrew Hudanish said it does not work fine. It does not accommodate the new size of trains and it is problematic to break apart the trains. Mr. Lyons went on to say that Drake Road needs improvement and that he wants Straub and Wade Road to remain open. He wants the trains to just break apart like they do in Millican. Sean Speed - The crossing will happen regardless. Businesses will grow exponentially, and Union Pacific has stated that they are concerned with safety. A grade separation is needed like the one at Old Main and Wellborn Road. He asked that the Court not be short sighted considering growth. Dave Schulien - Spoke in favor of the project. He knows the siding cannot be located further south because there is already one located in Millican. He urged the citizens to work with Union Pacific and the County to get the Greens Prairie Trail improvements and this will solve the problem. He said they already wait for trains and lights. Straub Road does need to be closed. It is a dangerous intersection. College Station gets its name because of the railroad. We came to the Commissioners Court with our concern and ideas and they listened. Rick Bennett - He asked questions about the funding contribution by Union Pacific and estimated costs. Andrew Hudanish estimated $625,000 - $650,000 for the Union Pacific portion. Mike Newkham - What is the timeline for Phase II or Phase III? Can they be done prior to the improvements at Greens Prairie Trail? Brandon Posvar - Saddle Creek and Duck Haven residents are bearing the burden for the mistake made by the College Station school district for choosing a poor location. He is a doctor and is concerned about his response time to the hospital in case of an emergency. Roy Robinson - He is on the other side of the tracks on Greens Prairie Trail. He does not believe emergency management has been adequately addressed. He referenced the West, Texas explosion. Neal Pratt - He is concerned about IG &N. What happens with the increased traffic on IG &N? Once Greens Prairie Trail crosses IG &N will it be paved and a real signal light installed? Chris Rutledge - He stated that any funds received as a benefit of this project should stay in their area and not be used county wide or on another project. Andrew Hudanish explained that Union Pacific is not writing a check to Brazos County and is doing all the work themselves. Courtney Jasper had a question for clarification on the timeline. Vol. 213 Pg. /3/ Allan Byrd - Is it possible to have three rails? Andrew Hudanish responded that is not typically done. There is not enough real estate to do that. Mr. Byrd pointed out that an electric pole just went up right in the area we are speaking about. Mr. Hudanish said he is aware of it and they will just clear the pole. Mr. Byrd said he is hearing a lot of "I think" and "I hope" and that you are giving us something but the Court's job is paid with tax payers money. M.L. Schehin - Concerned about everyone cutting through Duck Haven and wants to keep Wade Road open. Greg Glass - There wasn't full disclosure from the beginning and that is why there is so much emotion from the residents. Crowd sourcing early will help come up with more ideas. He asked that the road closures be delayed so that more input can be received. How can timeline projections be made when the land has not even been acquired? Look at the growth plan for College Station. He doesn't think enough data has been reviewed for this. It feels like a done deal and this meeting is just a formality. He challenged the Court and Union Pacific to work together. Paul Keiper deferred his time to Tyson Kennedy. Tyson Kennedy asked what it would take to keep Wade Road open? Andrew Hudanish said efficiency is not gained by keeping it open. Ben Marshall asked what if the County came up with the funding for improvements to the crossings to keep Wade and Straub Road open? Mr. Hudanish said no, length is needed. Randy Jedlicka asked about improvements for Drake Drive. He expressed frustration because he bought a home on a culdesac that is now a thoroughfare. The Court reminded him that he is in the College Station ETJ. Jane Cohen, President of the citizens of Wellborn invited everyone to attend their annual meeting at the Wellborn Community Center at 5:30 pm on January 23rd to give input. She is inviting all the stakeholders to attend. Linda Hale and Marisa Conley both asked why the siding can't be moved two miles farther south past Duck Haven. Mr. Hudanish said that would not work. Mike McCleary, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 said that he does not think many people will gain from the quiet zone. He suggested moving the siding to downtown Wellborn. That's where the quiet zone is needed. FM 2154 and Greens Prairie Trail needs more signal lights and lanes than are proposed. There is room to acquire more land and add more lanes. He said the cost to close Wade and Straub Road is over a million dollars. He says another offer is needed on the table and that it is cheaper to leave the roads open. Even if the crossings are blocked by trains frequently, he thinks they should remain open. He was questioned on where he got the cost to close the roads and could not remember. Missy King asked if improvements would be made to Duck Haven roads and stop signs added. Commissioner Wassermann responded that traffic studies would be conducted. Brazos County hasn't taken over maintenance for all of the roads yet. Vol. 2 13 Pg. / 3 There were no more citizens present wishing to speak and the meeting was adjourned. Vol. 213 Pg. / -�/F The foregoing minutes of the Commissioners Court Public Hearing held December 8, 2014, have been examined and are approved in open Court this the QLQ day of 2015, in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas. 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'I • ❑ 45 p O e GREENS PRAIRIE °p TRAIL EXTENSION PROJECT Ilk 4 I i.w . soo r 0 Oe Phase 2: Straub Rood right J • of way to be abandoned to � original property owners (by Q state law) after the opening O O . ° ' of Greens Praire Trail O O Q ^ oe 0 Q `v V Q ! 0 Phase 2: Improve Roadway to ?� current standards. Q °a Cr Phase 3: Eliminate Wade Phase 3: Improve Roadway Rood Crossing, Provide to current standards. SSo Cul De Sac. Wade Rd p V to remain open for a a O-n° property owners access. ° C Modifications will be o � made offer the opening O' of Greens Prairie Trail Vol. 213 Pg. /✓`'�