(The Chicago Daily Herald posted the following article by Denise Perry Donavin on its website on June 11.)
CHICAGO — Elburn village hall was packed Tuesday night for a plan commission public hearing on the zoning and annexation of land for a Metra station and coach yard.
Metra hopes to begin grading the site July 1 and complete construction by December 2005. The village board is expected to take a final vote next week on the grading, but not on zoning or annexation.
Metra wants to build a station and coach yard east of Kansas Street, south of the Union Pacific rail lines and west of the Still Meadows subdivision.
Many of the 60 people at the meeting were residents from Still Meadows, such as Lisa and Tom Clark whose property abuts the edge of the coach yard.
“I don’t want this in my back yard,” Lisa Clark said. “It will be lit 24 hours a day and people will be working all hours. What will the noise level be?”
Metra engineering officer Bill Tupper said, “You misconstrue how much work is going on in this yard. It is primarily a cleaning crew at night with mops. No repair work is going on. Vehicles traveling the yard will be mainly golf carts.”
Tom Clark asked about engine noise.
Metra attorney Rick Williams, who delivered most of Metra’s two-hour presentation on the development and the benefits to the community, said there has been a noise and vibration study filed with the village and it found that a negligible impact would be created by the yard.
There would be an additional 50 passenger trains per day in Elburn, but among Metra’s contributions to the village would to a video surveillance camera at Route 47 and First street to keep an eye on those drivers who attempt to go around crossing gates.
Plan Commissioner Pat Schuberg said she was excited that Metra would help with the cameras.
Throughout the presentation, Pat McAtee of Metra enumerated a number of benefits to Elburn, from improving drainage in the northern industrial park to planting the piers for the Anderson Road overpass. In all, more than $4.8 million would be invested in the community and in the train station and yard.
Lisa Clark referred to the benefits as “sugar coating.”