Blue Falcon wrote on May 6, 2008 1:50 PM:
" Hey go figure... train noise in Hanford... I would never of guessed that a city which was built because of the railroad would have train noise. Maybe I'm wrong... ok... sarcasm out of the way.
A few years back, I used to live in an Apartment on Greenfield Ave, just by the two Rail crossings across from the National Guard Armory and Woodrow Wilson JH... I can remember a night at about 3am when a train came slow rolling through town; and you could hear the horn blowing even before it even came to those crossings (mentioned above). That horn didn't stop for at least another 5 to 10 minutes, when it faded off into the distance... it was like the horn was stuck... gee the upset me, I stewed over that until I fell back asleep, and I told myself to contact the RR, but I forgot to...haha
I used to think there was a "three honk" rule; because every time a train comes to a crossing it blows its horn 3 times... can anyone weigh in on this, if this is a law or something? "
Push for the train horn oridnance... wrote on May 6, 2008 2:27 PM:
" and set precedence. Next to follow strengthening of street noise ordinances. Target those stupid inaudiable bombastic sounds coming from low-riding or tricked-out street racer cars. They are a public health hazard. For anyone who travels by car or walks near the vicinity of these four channel, 120 watt stress noise blasters, it can create coronary stressors and health risk against others. Stop loafing around Hanford City Council members...provide some relief and set rules, statues to tow vehicles away after 2 offenses, if fines don't deter the offenders. The county has to provide relief with a noise ordinance against drivers with vehicles that create noise pollution. I think $200.00 fines will help silence those car drivers. Fine's and enforcement to stop the blaring unimpressive decible levels that pound enough to shake windows and travel 1/4 of mile creating unnecessary public nusiances to people even sitting inside their homes. "
Hmmmmmm wrote on May 6, 2008 2:59 PM:
" Another waste of taxpayer money. You don't want to hear the train don't buy along the tracks. Quite simple. Trains were here first. "
N. Hanford resident wrote on May 6, 2008 6:41 PM:
" You can still here the train even if you "don't buy alaong the tracks" as our esteemed friend Hmmmmm has mentioned. It's worth every penny. "
Trains wrote on May 6, 2008 9:15 PM:
" I think when everyone finds out the cost of Quieting Trains they might think again. It costs $300,000-500,000 per railroad crossing that the city must pay for. PLUS...the liability for all grade crossing accidents would fall on the CITY... NOT the Railroads. The trains are just following the law.
"
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 10:55 AM:
" Another massive waste of taxpayer money to perform a study that is too costly to inact. BF is right the town itself is named for a railroad employee, read the history folks. The town took on his last name, imagine that, how many times in how many towns did this take place during the development of the rail in the United States. Just be glad you never lived within four blocks of the hump yard in Barstow, California where all the train cars were separated and sent in their individual directions all you heard all night was screeching brakes metal against metal and the clunking of the cars as they were reconnected to form a train headed north, south, east or west. Then when Burlington Northern took over Santa Fe more cars and more trains were added to the mix.
The noise the trains make could possibly save a life in the fog in this area, did we forget how foggy it can get in Hanford the train town? What's next we don't allow sirens on emergency vehicles? Let's be real about all this, invest in ear plugs they are much cheaper. "
Chuck Cornwell wrote on May 7, 2008 10:55 AM:
" To Hmmmmm, as if you've had an original thought. I was there in the City Councilors Chambers the 1st night this issue came up. On that evening there was an out door band playing across the court yard, but you couldn't hear it from inside the Chambers. However a 1/4 mile away I could hear trains crossing Lacey Bl. from inside. Maybe this is why we don't have concerts in the part anymore. STOP IT WITH THE TRAINS WERE HERE FIRST. If you've been in this town for a few years, you know there wasn't always 2 tracks in town and hardly ever a train at night. WE WERE HERE FIRST. Grow 1 more brain cell Hmmmm & you wont be so lonely. "
W.O.W. wrote on May 7, 2008 10:58 AM:
" While on the topic of noise control add the "straight, illegal, pipes on Harley Davidsons" that will make you cringe with pain if walking on the City sidewalks and one passes you by.
"
Chuck Cornwell wrote on May 7, 2008 11:03 AM:
" Hey anybody want to see my photos of an ambulance on a code 3 run, but stopped @ the Fargo Ave. crossing because a train choose to stop there? "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 11:38 AM:
" Dowd bought an entire block, I'm surprised, he didn't get it and the houses for free compliments of the City Council. Afterall aren't they the one's who set the precident of giving away city streets?
Bob, you were ripped off, perhaps you should have opened a cheese factory? Don't open a car lot in town or your feet get held to the fire.
Next lawsuit perhaps?
The City Council wants to silence the trains, they don't want anyone hearing them escape when all the facts of their behavior are made public. Besides Bob Dowd is gonna have to have a way to get all that city money out of town and on to his next job in the next City Council he saves. A car, rental truck or eighteen wheeler won't be able to haul all that loot.
We pay top dollar for an unqualified City Attorney then overpay an unqualified City Manager. Ask not what you can do for the community, ask what you can do for the City Council? Their new creed and motto as they crusade onward and upward wasting our tax dollars on the unqualified. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 11:45 AM:
" That makes sense when you think about it. The UNQUALIFIED CITY COUNCIL hiring unqualified people to work for the city. Has a certain ring to it, almost reminds me of a train whistle it is so blatantly obvious what they are doing. I think we should run an ad in the Salinas paper and see if they'd like to have a City Council to go along with their new City Manager? They play well together as is evidence by their past dealings.
This group is starting to remind me of a boot leg liquor gang back during prohibition. They just do as they damn well please until they get caught regardless of the Brown Act or any other legality that gets in their way. They have a top notched Personal City Attorney for that purpose at taxpayers expense, why shouldn't they ignore us the one's who are paying for it? FREEDOM OF SPEECH ISN'T IT WONDERFUL!!!! Imagine what they might get away with if it wasn't for the Hanford Sentinel reporting on what they do? It makes me shiver thinking about it. Keep it up guys/gals we need to know. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 11:53 AM:
" Why shouldn't the CC quiet the trains they don't want us to hear that train wreck coming when they manage to bankrupt the city. If you quiet the whistles you can't hear it coming right? They should be spending money on fixing pot holes and streets not over paid City Attorney/Manager et al. They used the excuse they weren't doing maintenance on the 5th street give-a-way as the reason for giving it to Watchamacallit. Perhaps they are getting prepared for another give away and that is why the streets aren't being fixed? The Railroad they want to silence has done more street repair this year than the city has. They beautified South 11th Avenue and now it is rougher than a corn cob to drive on. By the way all you landscapers out there, did you notice they used a firm in Fresno to do that work? Why do we always go outside our city to hire people? I would think there are qualified people here who could plant flowers? Maybe even the city employees could have done it, have you ever noticed their favorite break spot on Irwin Street? "
Blue Falcon wrote on May 7, 2008 1:42 PM:
" Ok, does the train noise erck the heck out of me at night when I'm trying to sleep and a train comes rolling through toot'n its horn... sure; but... I can live with it; it does not bother me. In fact, you adjust to it. Being away from it like I am right now makes me sort of miss the train...
I'm sure those making a big deal about the noise are the business owners downtown... what 13 rail crossings are in question? I personally don't care about the crossings on 3rd, 4th & 5th Streets; there is not much around those crossings anyways... and for southbound trains the freeway blocks most of the noise the trains make going south prior to 3rd Street. Now you have the Fargo, Grangeville, W. Elm, 11th Ave, Lacey, 7th, 6th and Hanford-Armona Road... I count 8 that really could "bother people with noise... and if you want to get technical, the crossing on Fargo is kinda "iffy"... when it comes to noise. You can't tell me the CC wants to look at the Tracks that run east and west... are they even active? "
Blue Falcon wrote on May 7, 2008 2:02 PM:
" I agree with CC Watchdog as well... FOG, FOG, FOG... I see it happen all the time where cars drive through the crossings because they don't want to wait, or they think the crossing gates are broke... it’s just a matter of time before someone gets killed by the train... then the blame game starts because it didn't honk its horn; toot toot!
We should be praising the railroad every time a train comes through. So a train makes noise, so a train is slow or stops... maybe that's a sign that we all should slow down and smell the flowers, instead of letting life pass us by.
How about a new "Little League" ballpark? Or something that will entertain the youth... maybe something like that will prevent them from doing crime elsewhere. Gosh, there is just so much more that can be done with Tax Payer money then to waste it on a study of train noise and rail crossings... you want to waste your money Hanford, pay for my house, haha! "
Wow wrote on May 7, 2008 2:20 PM:
" Isn't there some other issues that take presedence over the train noise...? "
To Chuck Cornwell wrote on May 7, 2008 2:48 PM:
" How do you figure you were here first? The trains have been coming and going through here and Lemoore for the 50 some years I have been here. Talk about missing brain cells! I can hear trains in both directions from where I live, so what. What difference does it make if you have one track or two you still have the same amount of trains. They just get to continue on a bit faster. I think the people doing the most complaining should foot the bill, bet that would quiet a lot of people up. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 4:56 PM:
" Did anyone stop to think that beautiful whistle indicates the wheels of a strong economy are still turning in this country. I remember when trains, trucks, dogs and women were in every country song ever written. Now all of a sudden a few people attend a City Council Meeting and the noise is an issue, money is spent on a senseless study which we know will determine that silencing the noise makes the city solely responsible for any and all train wrecks in the city limits. These people are out of hand if they approve this, they are opening the checkbook for the first foggy accident with a train. Not only would we be responsible for the car/truck and people involved but also for the train and its cargo, how stupid can you get? I'm telling ya once again, "STUPIDITY SHOULD BE PAINFUL, there would be a lot less of it". How about the bells for recess at school, never liked 'em they make too much noise in the neighborhood for daytime sleepers, lets take all the emergency/recess bills away from the schools. Let's remove all emergency fire alarms from public buildings too. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 5:04 PM:
" My suggestions are no more rediculous than taking the whistle out of a train passing by to warn people to get out of it's path. What's next you want to remove the breaks from the trains cause they make too much noise when applied? I agree with Blue Falcon, you very seldom think of the teenage children in this area and provide them with a functioning teen center or optional entertainment besides running in groups and gangs. You had a good man in the Recreation Department and lost him to early retirement for political reasons. Yeah that's out too, we all know what happened there as well, those of us in the know anyway. What could you have done with $150,000.00 Dowd over-charged the city for the youth in this community, alot that is for sure. It could have been invested in the lives of the youth that will one day run this city, but no instead it went to a greedy man who turned out to be a liar, cheat and typical attorney. It's men like Dowd and Council Members like we have that give a city a bad name. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 7, 2008 5:12 PM:
" I say we introduce some new blood into the City Council, I want those of you who have suggested I run for the City Council and I do appreciate your support and consideration, but I would rather you back Blue Falcon for the job. I say we insist he represent this fine city with the same honor, distinction and leadership he has served our great nation and continues to do so. He is young, intelligent, a strong family man with ethics has been somewhere besides Hanford and has demontrated extreme character, leadership and a caring heart, he's invested his life in this community and purchased property here and plans to raise his family in this community What better candidate can you ask for, O.G., Alejandro, Oracle, Pops, all you brothers and sisters in the military lets get behind this and put one of our own in that position. One with a like mind and heart who truly cares about this city and it's residents. Someone who has to live on a budget, work for a living and make decisions that effect other peoples lives on a routine basis.. "
Anthony wrote on May 7, 2008 6:58 PM:
" I assume we, the taxpayers, will pay for this study and any quiet zone enforcement. Since I live a few blocks from Highway 43, will the taxpayers pay for a quiet zone for the noise from semi-trucks, even though the highway was here before the homes. Maybe the city attorney, who has made $150,00 more than he promised, can pay $150,000 toward this project. "
Stkman wrote on May 8, 2008 3:18 AM:
" I love the sound of a train and its horn as it rubbles though town, a good set of pipes on a HD motorcycle, a F/A-18 on a low flight over head, but what I don't like is when someone or bodies tries to tell me what I can or cannot hear or see. The way I see it, if you don't like it then move, next time do your home work and know what and were you are moving to. If you see two steel rails that are shiney then I would bet a train runs on them and if there is a 4 lane road outside your backyard then I would bet there is traffic with loud trucks, cars, and motorcycles. This is my 2 cents. "
Big Picture wrote on May 8, 2008 1:53 PM:
" I am a transplant from the Midwest (Indiana) and we have major railway lines passing through our city. In fact, much like San Francisco, some of the really old lines ran directly through the center of our main street. I my self lived three houses down from a rail line and currently live just off eleventh here in Hanford. My point is this. We as community need to decide if the cost of change is going to be worth the benefits for the entire community not just those along the rail line. In my home town we found we could eliminate crossings and restructure the rail so that flow of traffic was not impacted as much and noise levels were reduced by natural and man made buffers. Granted, I am talking about a much larger city but growth is inevitable. The longer you over look these type of things the harder and more expensive it is to change later. You also have look at local mass transit, given current gas prices. How nice would it be to have light rail system connecting the city and local cities? Remember you only get what you are willing to pay for. "
CC WATCHDOG wrote on May 9, 2008 10:26 AM:
" I can think of 3 million more reasons why the City Council needs to get on that northbound Amtrak and ride, ride, ride.
Big Picture is right, when I was stationed in North Chicago the local trains ran every twenty minutes. In fact you could go from North Chicago to Kenosha Wisconsin for $3 about a thirty minute train ride or the distance to Fresno. Who says that west to east line couldn't carry passengers through to Visalia and surrounding communities. The city buses are the only mass transit available and I don't think they are covering Visalia, I believe Lemoore is as far west as they go. Forget curbing noise lets increase it and offer other solutions for travel besides automobiles. Wouldn't it be nice to hop a train to Visalia go to the Depot for a nice dinner and return without having to drive or pay $4 a gallon for gas, they could hop a train and come eat at the Purple Potato and exchange commerce that way. Who knows maybe you could keep the train and Freddie the Fire Truck busy on Thursday Night Market bringing Visalians here. "
CC WATCHDOG wrote on May 9, 2008 10:38 AM:
" I remember when the phrase Hanford Has It, use to mean something to the surrounding communities. We have the most beautiful town square in Central California and it isn't used as much as it should be. I don't understand why Market Place isn't all about that square instead of blocking off city streets to have it. Let the businesses come to the square instead of us having to go to them. You know many are disabled for one reason or another and walking those streets isn't always possible. Not all of our older streets are handicap accessible and according to the ADA all community events should be accessible to everyone. Just because handicapped people may not be able to get up and dance doesn't mean they don't like to listen to good music. Our dollars spend just like everyone else's. Just something for the people involved to think about. The more accessable it becomes the more people will come. Changes like these are things we should be looking at, promoting commerce in the city limits instead of spending 3 million on noise suppression. "
Watchdog wrote on May 9, 2008 7:16 PM:
" How many In N Outs could we build for $3,000,000.00? What type of concert arena could we build for $3,000,000.00? How many Harley Davidson dealerships could we open with $3,000,000.00? We could even build a Claim Jumper Restauarant for $3,000,000.00. What kind of 4th of July bash could we throw with $3,000,000.00, we could probably make more noise than the trian horns. "
Watchdog wrote on May 9, 2008 7:28 PM:
" I hear that train a coming it's blowing it's horn real loud, put me in the driver's seat so I too can be proud.
I'm stuck in Hanford Prison, and I haven't seen a good meal since Bill Clinton was a cheatin' heel.
Stuck in Hanford Prison eating gee dunk and it sucks. Stuck in Hanford Prison where the pot holes never end. Stuck in Hanford Prison, here I go again!
The above is a little tribute to those who can't move away from the train tracks. "
Sid wrote on May 11, 2008 12:03 PM:
" Stkman, I'm glad you like the sounds of FA-18s flying overhead. So do I, but I wouldn't like to sleep under it...
Don't misunderstand, I'm with you. "People should know what they are getting into" when they buy in certain locations: This quote being from the Chairman of the Lemoore City Planning Commision. Their recommendation to DELIBERATELY BUILD HOUSES under known and city documented jet noise from the base was just OK'ed by the City Council 3-2.
So you see, government can be the CAUSE of problems in the future. Watch this one grow....
And you guys in Hanford will be impacted by Lemoore's "plan" eventually causes the Naval Air Station to be closed and Kings County loses that job base with it's $300 Million yearly impact to the local economy. "
CC Watchdog wrote on May 12, 2008 8:15 PM:
" To Sid - you let that 3 million yearly contribution disappear from this community and watch the price of rent and housing drop below anyone's idea of low in this area. There will be so many people lose their homes who hung on to them and rented them out when they moved up, because of the potential rents they could get from them. More people will be foreclosed on because they lose their good paying jobs at Lemoore Naval Air Station, you can't replace those salaries and bennies with a job at the Palace forlks. Then what happens to those kids who's parents have one or two in college, a mortgage and hope to retire in a few more years themselves? People just don't comprehend the decision making power they may have handed over to a few inept people who can destroy careers, make living here impossible, while the influx of people from Southern California continues to arrive and drive up the costs of property. But the inflation of the property is false and so is the decisions being made by the Politicians in this area. This recession we are heading into isn't. "
happy cow wrote on May 13, 2008 12:12 AM:
" CHUCK CORNWELL,
Good point about the ambulance. I have seen the same thing and i have no way to make it better. Got any ideas? "
RSS HanfordSentinel.com