(The following story by Michael Tomberlin appeared on The Birmingham News website on November 13, 2009.)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Norfolk Southern Corp. officials got an earful of complaints and fielded a barrage of questions Thursday but did little to alleviate concerns many residents of McCalla have about a planned $112 million hub in their town.
The railroad company and the Alabama Department of Transportation held a second public meeting to provide information to the public about aspects of the project, which has met with opposition from some residents.
The concerns Thursday were similar to those expressed at the meeting in August:
The facility’s effects on neighboring McAdory Elementary School.
Increased traffic due to the 400 trucks that will move in and out of the facility on McAshan Drive each day.
Environmental concerns about what the facility and its train and truck traffic will do in terms of noise, water, air and light.
As with the first meeting, Norfolk Southern had placards and video monitors explaining in detail how they say the facility will affect all of those issues. New placards were added addressing specific questions raised in the first meeting. For answers not given then, experts were available at each station at the Bessemer Civic Center to field questions.
Shelly Wallace, who lives in McCalla and has a child at McAdory Elementary School, said having promises on placards is not good enough.
“They can’t give us a guarantee in writing,” she said. “They’re not willing to sign their names and put it in writing.”
Wallace said she has listened to all that Norfolk Southern has had to say, including the projections that the facility will create up to 8,600 jobs in the next 20 years as new companies are drawn to the facility. But it doesn’t balance out to the fact that a school is next door, she said.
“As a parent, I have to be concerned with it,” she said. “I understand economic development and I’m all for it, but you need to put it in the right place. Don’t put it on top of a school.”
John Baker, a Norfolk Southern official, said the promises on the placards will be put into writing when the project gets necessary permitting.
But one man questioning him said there were guarantees that the railroad could not make.
“How is this going to improve the quality of life in McCalla?” he asked. “Where is the station that tells me how my property values will keep going up?”
When Baker tried to explain the jobs and economic development potential, of the hub, the man cut him off.
“I have a job. I don’t need a job,” he said. “There are people in McCalla who do need jobs, but I don’t know them.”
Hub opponents didn’t limit their antagonism to Norfolk Southern officials. Ashley Cousins, whose consulting firm AC ESS LLC was hired by the railroad company to facilitate the formation of a community outreach group, faced the ire of several citizens.
Cousins tried to explain how a five-member panel would select the 10-member group that will bring issues and concerns from the McCalla community to Norfolk Southern. But many were skeptical of the fact that Norfolk Southern hired Cousins and suspicious of her assertion that the railroad would have no say and no representation on the body.
“This is what this is worth,” one woman said as she ripped a nomination form in front of Cousins and walked away. An estimated 200 people showed up at the meeting, less than half the nearly 500 who turned out in August.
Terry Finch, one of the organizers of the No Hub 4 McCalla opposition group, said he was happy with the turnout but not satisfied with the meeting.
“We feel like until all of the reports are in from the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Environmental Protection Agency, nobody will really know how bad this is for McCalla.”
Finch said everyone in McCalla should be more concerned about the increased traffic from the hub.
“The traffic situation is what’s going to get people hurt and killed,” he said. “The traffic situation is a ticking time bomb.”
Rudy Husband, spokesman for Norfolk Southern, said despite those who came and left with their minds made up, Thursday’s meeting was able to provide many with substantive answers.
“It’s been a very good meeting,” he said. “I think people have appreciated having more details that what was here in August.”