Railroad officials say early removal of crossing was mistake
ELCO – A month after eliminating the Lincoln Street railroad crossing, Norfolk-Southern Railroad is telling borough officials the closing was a mistake, at least for now. The railroad company does intend to close the crossing and had informed the borough of its intent in November, but a maintenance crew apparently jumped the gun by removing the crossing in December.
According to Borough Council President Larry Pollack, the railroad maintenance crew was supposed to replace eight railroad ties. The crew, which already had eliminated a crossing in nearby Roscoe Borough, also took out the crossing, removing the ramps on either side that permit cars to cross the tracks easily. Pollack said a crew should be on site today to begin replacing the crossing.
“They should be done the middle of next week,” Pollack said. “Monday they will be out here with their real estate agent.”
When the closing was discussed with Norfolk-Southern in November, several issues were raised, including the possibility of the railroad giving some land to the borough and putting in a walkway to the next crossing, as well as constructing a turnaround area for Lincoln Street residents. No agreements have yet been signed. The council discussed the matter in executive session for less than 15 minutes Wednesday due to the possibility of litigation.
The board also discussed plans for a new community center. The borough has obtained a state grant for the project and has about $62,500 available for it. Pollack suggested that the borough engineer draw up specifications for the project and serve as the project manager, though the board took no action.
In other business, a resident complained about the lack of snow removal in the community. Pollack said that the borough thought it had a plow operator under contract when the heavy snow fell in December, but officials realized after the fact that no such contract existed. Another contractor has been hired but has not been called out to plow, because the snow hasn’t been as heavy.
Pollack said the borough doesn’t own a plow or a salt spreader, though the borough worker does spread salt by hand at the intersections.
Pollack said liability issues prohibit the borough from using volunteers to plow or salt the roads.
In another matter, residents were reminded that the RESA police department will enforce all state laws regarding parking restrictions at intersections and near stop signs.
Residents also were encouraged to contact Washington County 911 about any problems, including quads being operated on borough or railroad property. Pollack said contacting 911 instead of RESA directly provides an official record of the complaint.