(The following story by David Conard appeared on the Lake Zurich Courier website on September 14, 2009.)
CHICAGO — Hawthorn Woods finalized a deal with Canadian National Railway Co. on Monday where CN will contribute $935,000 to the village for projects to mitigate the negative effects of increased freight train traffic on the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway, according to a CN press release.
Village Board members discussed the terms of agreement at a special meeting on Sept. 10 .
About $760,000 will be used for noise mediation and $125,000 for a bicycle and pedestrian crossing, either at the crossing at Old McHenry Road or Gilmer Road. An additional $50,000 will be provided for traffic signal improvements at the intersection of Old McHenry and Midlothian roads. Village Chief Operating Officer Pamela Newton confirmed these amounts at the Sept. 10 meeting.
“We did try to get both crossings protected so that we didn’t have to choose between Old McHenry or Gilmer,” Newton said. “We were not successful in getting that additional amount.”
“We are doing very well for a village our size with this offer,” Newton added.
Village President Joseph Mancino said the village will have control over the noise-reduction measures it chooses to implement using the $760,000. He said that flexibility is a major victory for the Village.
“‘In addition, Hawthorn Woods may utilize any portion of these funds to administer a mitigation program,'” Mancino said, quoting the agreement at the meeting. “The language is wide open for us,” he said.
Mancino said he believes this is the best offer CN will present to the village after two years of negotiation.
As part of the agreement, the village is required to no longer oppose CN’s acquisition of the EJ&E at the appellate court level, and will have to disengage from The Regional Answer to Canadian National (TRAC) organization, said Phil LaGro, CN/EJE liaison to the village board.
Newton said a part of the agreement re-negotiated Monday allows the village to re-enter litigation if CN defaults on any part of the agreement. She said she expects the $760,000 by the end of the year.
CN now has agreements with 18 of the 33 municipalities along the EJ&E line, according to the CN press release.