Salem Hills Park Association

THE SHPA has been asked by local residents to let homeowners know about the recent support for establishing "Quiet Zones" in the Villge of Voorheesville.  Voorheesville has an opportunity to establish railroad crossing “quiet zones” in which trains will not sound their horns as they approach the intersections. The Village Board of Trustees need to know if there is community support for this idea. Please be sure to attend the next village board meeting on Tuesday June 26, 2012 at 7:00 pm in the Village Hall.

Background:

In 2005 the federal government passed regulations that permit the establishment of railroad crossing quiet zones. These regulations specify the kinds of improvements that are needed at the train crossings in order to meet required safety standards. While there are several different options available, Voorheesville would probably best meet the standards by upgrading to four gates each at its Main Street and Voorheesville Avenue crossings.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s Quiet Zone calculator is available on line at http:// safetydata.fra.dot.gov/quiet/. According to the calculator, upgrading from two gates to four gates at both crossings would cost $200,000. (Note that the Voorheesville Avenue crossing already has 3 gates, so the total costs would likely be less). If that sum were borrowed over a period of 20 years at an interest rate of 4% the monthly costs to the village would be $1212. That amounts to an average of $1.08 per household per month or less than 4 cents a day. In addition to having peace and quiet, property values would certainly be enhanced.

Several months ago this matter was raised with the Mayor and he has advised that he has contacted Congressman Tonko’s office to find out with whom in the federal government the village should speak. However, to date, nothing has happened. We need to get some answers.

Please feel free to refer questions, comments or suggestions to Steven Schreiber: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 765-2210.