Railroad property fence going up
The fence around the 20-acre railroad property in Ashland is going up Sept. 5, and Union Pacific Railroad Company postponed cleanup of the contaminated area indefinitely.
DEQ project manager Greg Aitken met with representatives from the railroad last week and said they had no plans for an area cleanup.
Approximately 58,000 tons of contaminated topsoil lie in the undeveloped parcel, which was used as a railcar repair and maintenance facility from 1887 to 1986. After a 2001 feasibility study, the railroad prepared for a cleanup this summer. However, the DEQ cancelled it because of higher levels of contamination than previously thought, a necessary re-evaluation of arsenic levels and community concerns whether to use train or trucks to remove the soil.
"We want to take a new look at the trucks versus rail issue," Aitken said. "In terms of our own internal process, we're telling the railroad we want a minimum of nine months notice to do our feasibility study."
The DEQ will amend its 2001 record of decision and reconsider removing the contaminated soil by rail. Shortly after the DEQ decided not to approve the railroad's summer work plan, Union Pacific decided to put up a fence around the property for liability reasons.
For few railroad property neighbors, the fence will block open space they traditionally use. Bill Danley, a retired professor who lives on B Street, is a regular dog walker who will have to find a new place for a morning stroll. Danley's complaint, like those of others, is that the community has been using the area for decades.
"If that goes in, it's going to affect my lifestyle," Danley said. "It's going to be a sad thing if they block it off."
Union Pacific's new plan will fence a smaller area, and increase the easement to 70 feet for the bicycle path that runs between the railroad tracks and the proposed fence. City Attorney Mike Franell said the City of Ashland is satisfied with the outcome.
The city Community Development Department issued a permit to Quality Fence Co. of Central Point Friday, and Ashland Mayor John Morrison drafted a letter to Gary Honeyman, manager for environmental site remediation at Union Pacific, Aug. 4.
"Basically, I requested that they not put up a fence unless they have a new reason or a compelling reason to do so," Morrison said.
Morrison wrote the paths and shortcuts that have been used for at least 35 years by people in the community will be blocked off.
Aitken said the DEQ did not request the fence because of the additional contamination it found. On the DEQ's Web site, which it updated Monday, it reads: "DEQ does not believe that site contaminant levels are high enough to require that site access be prevented for pedestrians who periodically walk across the railyard. However, UP has indicated that the fence is needed to limit the risk from physical hazards while the property remains vacant."
Representatives for Union Pacific were not available for comment.
Staff writer Alan Panebaker can be reached at 482-3456 x 227 or apanebaker@dailytidings.com.
