(The following article by Brandi Barhite appeared in the Sandusky Register.)
SANDUSKY, Ohio — The third-degree misdemeanor charge the city filed against Norfolk Southern for not maintaining its property was dismissed Tuesday in Sandusky Municipal Court.
Sandusky officials requested the charge be dropped after the railroad removed couches, tires and broken appliances from an area city residents had been using for illegal dumping, said Bob Jackson, city nuisance control officer.
The railroad also voluntarily placed concrete barriers at the property, which is north of the tracks between Olds and Huron streets, to prevent future dumping.
“I was impressed,” Jackson said, who said he has had repeated problems getting the railroad to maintain its property. “I think the fact that we finally took them to court — and the bad publicity — made a difference.”
Norfolk, which had no representation in court Tuesday, will have to pay $65 in court costs. It could have been fined $3,000, according to city records.
Railroad spokesman Bill Harris said Tuesday afternoon Norfolk and Sandusky officials have been working to improve their relationship for several years.
>From now on, the city has been told to contact Harris, who is based in Columbus, if there is a problem, instead of trying to talk to someone at the company’s headquarters in Norfolk, Va.
Harris said the railroad had already planned to clean the property before it was cited for violating the city’s public nuisance ordinance, which prohibits the accumulation of garbage, refuse and hazardous waste on private property.
The city sent Norfolk the violation notice in December, giving the company 10 days to clean the property.
“There was miscommunication,” Harris said. “The notice was sent to our tax office and it never got to the right people.”
Tuesday, a charge against Sortino Management and Development, who the city also cited for violating its public nuisance ordinance, was also dismissed.
Jackson said the property at the Sandusky Plaza, 1210 Sycamore Line, was being used as a illegal dump for tires, refrigerators and mattresses, but was recently cleaned up as well.