Railroad Quiet Zones

During a recent visit with friends on Summit Street here in District 3, I was asked my position regarding the train noise. I explained that I remembered during two separate CAC meetings residents had asked the Commission for relief regarding the noise from the train whistles. At the time it seemed reasonable but appeared to go nowhere with the Commission except for a reference to someone already coming forward and complaining about the noise. One gentleman explained the desire to have quiet zones for Clintonville and briefly explained how a railroad quiet zone works and some costs involved with the program. It appeared he had been part of a group that looked into a quiet zone.

Ironically during my visit a train came by blowing its whistle. It was quite imposing to say the least. I could see how it could be very disruptive to a family and certainly keep you up if blown during the night.

The following information has been gathered from the internet. It comes from a variety of sources. I have attempted to credit the sources for your reference. From what I can gather the process is very involved and can be very expensive depending what type of crossings exist here in Clintonville. The idea would be to have the zone encompass the crossings at Lincoln, Cooke, and Weber Roads. Each crossing would have to have a study performed to determine what would be needed by law in order to apply for a Railroad Quiet Zone.

I would be in favor of a committee being formed to investigate the feasibility of a Railroad Quiet Zone. Only after having public meetings regarding this type of program could we determine whether it is feasible. Without this first step we can never expect government officials to take us seriously.

Definition of  Quiet Zone according to The Federal Railway Administration: 

"A quiet zone is a railroad grade crossing at which trains are prohibited from sounding their horns in order to decrease the noise level for nearby residential communities. The train horns can be silenced only when other safety measures compensate for the absence of the horns."

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) train horn rule provides localities nationwide with the opportunity to establish quiet zones. The federal rule pre-empts all applicable state laws. To qualify, communities wishing to establish quiet zones must equip proposed grade crossings with adequate safety measures to overcome the decrease in safety created by silencing the train horns. The additional safety measures must be constructed at the community’s own expense and must meet federal specifications. The federal rule also contains language which for the first time restricts the volume of train horns.

Click here for more information regarding the FRA's final rule on use of horns, or here for a diagram showing the process for creating a quiet zone. 

From the Norfolk and Southern website;

"General Costs of Safety Measures

Public authorities are responsible for the cost of preliminary engineering, construction, maintenance, and replacement of active warning devices or their components installed at crossings to meet quiet zone standards. Public authorities will be required to enter into a contractual agreement guaranteeing reimbursement to the railroad thirty days after railroad work is completed. Costs to install safety measures vary depending on individual projects. Below are examples of costs:

• Four-Quadrant Gate Systems - $300,000 to $500,000

• Basic Active Warning System* - $185,000 to $400,000

• Basic Inter-Connect - $5,000 to $15,000

• Annual Maintenance - $4,000 to $10,000

*(Includes Flashing Lights and Gates, Constant Warning Time, Power Out Indicator, and Cabin)

At Norfolk Southern our primary concern at rail-highway grade crossings is safety. In regard to quiet zones Norfolk Southern will assist communities as necessary but it is the public authority which is responsible for taking all required steps to assure full compliance with the federal rule."

The folks in North New Jersey have designed this brochure that answers a lot of questions.

The City of Macedonia, Ohio has this website which explains that they used federal stimulus monies.

Finally, the City of Ft. Worth, Texas has an interesting presentation here.

I hope this information is useful. I look forward to speaking with our neighbors about Clintonville’s Railroad Quiet Zone.

Why Run for District 3 Commissioner?

Over the last year I have become involved in the Clintonville Area Commission as a resident, committee member, task force member, and Chairman of the Election Committee. The functions and operations of this commission have been interesting to say the least. Either intentionally or not, many of us had no idea how or why the CAC operated and to some extent, some of it is still a mystery. The Commission has operated since the early 1970’s and has nine elected commissioners who are there to serve and represent their respective Districts. Our neighborhood has a vast mix of socioeconomics and varied styles of architecture that reflect the history of development in the City of Columbus over the last 100-plus years. It is the very reason my wife and I chose to live here in Clintonville and raise our three boys.

One of my greatest concerns for Clintonville is the recently adopted Urban Commercial Overlay.  Our community has a wonderful array of history that tells the story of America. I believe, however, it is not a community that should be redesigned by a single planning overlay by City planners. Our community is much more complex and eclectic and deserves a great deal of attention. Much of Clintonville has been preserved or in some cases ignored, which can be advantageous and blight to our community all at the same time. But ignoring it will not make it go away or maintain a neighborhood that is safe and a desirable part of our family’s lives. It appears many opportunities have been left unimplemented or un-noticed and therefore have been missed by the City Planners when funds have become available. You can see other neighborhoods reap the benefits all around us, Old North Columbus, Linden, University Area and Morse Road, with infrastructure improvements and vast allocation of our tax dollars.

Why was Clintonville missed?

Instead of taking the partisan political approach and tearing down the efforts of the CAC and individual Commissioners, I have chosen to take a different approach and put my name in the running for Commissioner of District 3. I am running for the position of Area Commissioner and asking for your support and vote.

I have had the opportunity to serve on many Boards of non-profits, foundations, associations and committees. I believe in any organization you can get lost in the process and lose sight of your goals. It does not mean you have not had good intentions, but you simply have lost the ability to get projects done. I have always taken an approach that you should review and execute a plan until its completion. The resources in our community are unrivaled and another missed opportunity is not acceptable with so much at stake. We need to encourage neighbors to participate in the process and help in our common goals of making Clintonville a better community to live in and raise a family.

I believe nine Commissioners cannot and should not stand alone in the improvement process. The City of Columbus is so large that our Commission has become even more important in delivering improvements to our neighborhoods. We must change the culture of our local government to reflect our community and our goals while incorporating the citizens into the process.

I believe we have missed opportunities by not fully implementing the previous neighborhood plans for High Street and Indianola Avenue. Where are the back-in parking, medians, buried utility lines and lower speed limits? Why did our project only get partially completed but the University District ("Old North Columbus") has all of their project implemented? Just because the City runs out of money on one project does not mean we should allow them to move onto another community until ours has been completed. We have every right for our community to not be forgotten in all of the bureaucracy of government. We need follow-through on project implementation. Why are there Urban Infrastructure Recovery Funds unspent when we have so many areas in need for improvements?

In the next few weeks I will be drawing your attention to further missed opportunities here in Clintonville that concern me. If you are aware of some that need the attention of our City government, please let me know and maybe we can discuss them openly and get them resolved once I am elected.

I look forward to your input and ideas.

Jim Blazer

Who is Jim Blazer?

James Robert Blazer II was born in Columbus Ohio, raised in the Linden Area and attended Arlington Park Elementary School, then attended Gahanna Lincoln High School. He attended The Ohio State University in the school of Arts and Sciences, with a major in Cinematography and Film Production.

While attending Ohio State Jim became a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, an organization that was founded on the “Great joy of serving others.” Over the years, he volunteered as a Chapter Advisor, House Corporation President, National Director of Strategic Planning, National Housing Corporation Director and was elected at the organization’s bi-annual convention as Treasurer, Vice President and then National President for 2004 to2006. Phi Kappa Psi has more than 100,000 members and the largest endowment ($38 million) of any Greek organization in America.

Jim is the founder and owner of Blazer & Associates, Inc. an insurance agency specializing in employee benefits to employers and Associations. Blazer & Associates, Inc. will celebrate its 20^th anniversary later this year. Many associations have endorsed Blazer & Associates, Inc. to provide employee benefits to their members such as the Central Ohio Retail Grocers, East Central Ohio Food Dealers, Ohio Bed and Breakfast Association, The Ohio Library Council, The Automobile Dealers Alliance of Ohio, Ohio Association of Realtors, The Columbus Board of Realtors and The Professional Insurance Agents of America. Through these associations Jim has served on a many boards, committees and political action committees.

Over the last year Jim has served on a number of committees for the Clintonville Area Commission. In 2009 he served as Chairman of the Election Committee. Last spring he served on the High Street/North Broadway Task Force. He currently serves as a committee member of the Planning and Development Committee.

Jim is a founding member of the Clintonville Rotary.

Twenty two years ago Jim met his wife Barb and they were married 14 months later. They have been raising three boys: Sam 18, Jack 14, and Joe 10 here in Clintonville since 1995. The Blazer Family attends St. James Episcopal Church on Calumet Street where Jim has served on the Vestry (board).

The Blazer Family also volunteers each week at the Ronald McDonald House here in Columbus which is a facility that helps families with a place to stay while their children obtain care at central Ohio Hospitals.