Published: March 04, 2009 01:59 pm      

City of New Albany, Norfolk Southern come to terms for Main Street quiet zone

Shhhh!

Turned down by Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. before, the New Albany Board of Public Works and Safety announced Tuesday a successful application for a quiet zone pending some upgrades.

The quiet zone will mean trains won’t blow their whistles between East Fifth and East 15th streets along Main Street — also known as the city’s historic district — unless there is an emergency.

The lack of noise may not sound like a big deal, but the decision was music to the ears of Valla Ann Bolovschak — owner of the bed and breakfast Admiral Bicknell Inn and spokeswoman for the Main Street Preservation Association.

She’s been fighting for the quiet zone for nearly five years, working with state and railroad officials to improve the corridor where many businesses are located.

“This is for the city,” she said.

The need for new power outage indicators at three railroad crossings in the quiet zone area was the reason the initial request was denied. The board approved funding for engineering work — which will be done by Norfolk Southern — that will proceed the actual labor. Board President Matt Denison estimated the total cost for the upgrades will be between $4,500 and $5,000 for each crossing.

“It’s a commitment from the city to Norfolk Southern that we’re willing to commit ourselves financially,” he said. Denison added the city is actually getting off pretty cheap.

Railroad officials told Denison many cities are stuck paying $10,000 per crossing for the necessary upgrades. Board member and City Controller Kay Garry said she has been assured the total cost for the project including labor won’t exceed $22,500 and will likely be less.

Those figures pale in comparison to the near $500,000 tab flipped by Norfolk Southern and the Indiana Department of Transportation for new gates and lights in the district that are required for a quiet zone.

Bolovschak worked with those agencies to keep the city’s financial portion of the project to a minimum. INDOT paid approximately $160,000, and Norfolk Southern dropped approximately $343,000. New Albany’s cost is less than 5 percent of the total project.

When the Main Street Association first approached the board about the situation last year, business owners in the district said the noisy whistles disturb their customers.

“Guests ask us if we have earplugs,” said Carl Holliday, co-owner of the Culbertson West mansion and Box Tree Inn, during that meeting.

Bolovschak said the quiet zone will help more than just Mansion Row, as she pointed to other developments such as the Floyd County branch of the YMCA of Southern Indiana as another beneficiary of some peace and quiet.

Though the city has made its decision, Denison said don’t expect the zone to go into effect soon.

“I don’t expect it to be fast,” he said, as Norfolk Southern handles all upgrades to its infrastructure.



City planning more cleanup days

Just like last year, the board of works is preparing to partner with city neighborhood associations to clean up New Albany.

Denison said April 25 has been slated for the west end, as the city will pair with the group Friends and Neighbors of the West End. Dumpsters will be provided for the undertaking.

An exact date is being worked out with the East Spring Street and S. Ellen Jones associations, as the two groups will combine with the city for a cleanup.

The two dates currently being considered are March 21 and March 28. Volunteers will be needed for the events and more cleanups will be announced in the months to come.

For more information, contact Denison at 812-948-5333.



The quiet zone

• After the necessary crossing upgrades are made, the quiet zone will be in effect between East Fifth and East 15th streets along Main Street. An exact date for the zone to start has not been determined.