VALLEY RAILWAY Boardman officials ask for meeting about safety

Township officials said they are looking to build a relationship.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Several recent problems involving the Youngstown and Southern Railway have prompted township officials to invite its operators to a discussion about railroad safety.
Township Administrator Curt Seditz sent a formal letter to Tracy Drake, director and CEO of the Columbiana Port Authority, which operates the railroad, asking Drake to contact trustees about having a meeting. Seditz said the township and port authority have had their differences in the past, but this meeting would be a step toward relationship building.
"First and foremost, we need to seek and build a relationship. That is the bottom line of it," he said. "We have had disagreements over property maintenance issues in the past, and we are not trying to dredge up old battles, but we would like to say, 'Let's just sit down across the table and talk.'"
What prompted request
In the letter, Seditz said the catalyst for the meeting request was the recent train derailment at the Southern Boulevard and Maple Avenue crossing.
Drake said the train went off track at a crossing that was not repaired in a $2 million upgrade over the past several years. He said the crossing was thought to have been in usable condition. The derailment damaged between 300 and 400 feet of track.
Seditz, in his letter to Drake, said township officials are aware that the port authority plans to make the needed repairs after the derailment, but trustees still want to know about any upgrades and/or safety improvements that will be made in the township.
In addition to the train derailment, Seditz said there were two other recent problems that could have injured people and did damage private property.
Hit while mowing
The township, Seditz said, has been taking the initiative to cut the grass along the railroad on Southern Boulevard north of U.S. Route 224 for many years. The grass, he said, is in the county right of way and on railroad property, but township residents demanded the area be kept presentable.
According to Seditz, township crews were cutting the grass the afternoon of April 28 when an unknown object was hit and propelled through the air by the mower. The object went through the front window of a home on Homestead Drive. No one was injured.
On May 6, the letter said, crews were again cutting the grass and hit a railroad spike that was propelled through the air and through the rear window of a woman's car just north of Meadowbrook Avenue. No one was injured.
Seditz said railroad officials have made a conscious effort to pick up railroad ties along the line and cut grass, but trustees want them to be aware of the issues that have arisen and work together to prevent any further problems.
The railway is a 36-mile line running from Youngstown to Darlington, Pa. It was first used in 2001 after several years of inactivity.
jgoodwin@vindy.com