Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_07.25.08 - Index

JULY 25, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 21A
Train from page 1A
what they are going to do – because they have done nothing
for decades on this particular line. So this is a big issue.”
Freitas said he’s also concerned about noise.
“If we are going across Hillcrest, “A” Street and Somersville,
those trains will be using their horns,” he said. “It’s
a constant source of irritation for many people in this community.
If there are 40 trains that are going to be doing that
all during the day and night, it will exacerbate a nuisance that
a lot of people would like to see stopped entirely. We are very
concerned about this.”
Union Pacifi c spokeswoman Zoe Richmond said the
plan to run trains on the Moccoco Line, which has been out
of service for about 20 years, is still in the preliminary stage.
But it looks like it’s going to happen because high gas
prices are forcing transporters to switch from trucks to trains,
she said. A train can move one ton of freight 780 miles on a
gallon of diesel fuel, and one train can take up to 300 trucks
off the road.
“We are in the process of restoring service throughout
that area,” said Richmond. “Because of the high cost of gas
and congestion, a lot of cargo is being moved off of highways
and onto trains. We are looking at lines we have had out
of service and can be used to relieve congestion and help out
the environment.”
The company is also concerned about the impacts the
trains will have on communities, especially kids playing near
the tracks, and is starting to have discussions with local offi
cials about how best to address that, she said.
Concerns about the increased train traffi c have also been
raised in Oakley, where City Councilman Brad Nix is concerned
about possible noise pollution at a planned offi ce/
townhouse project on Empire Avenue near the Moccoco Line
in Oakley. The developer plans to use building materials with
extra noise protection.
Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor is concerned about the
trains tying up traffi c in his city – they will cross Lone Tree
Way, Central Boulevard, Oak Street and Balfour Road.
“It would sure as heck have one heck of an impact,” he
said. “It would defi nitely have an economic impact on us just
because of the traffi c impact. Also I would be very concerned
for the citizens of Brentwood, since they are not used to that
type of train activity – the safety concerns for kids being on
the tracks. Do we need more safety barriers? There should be
more study done to it.”
Daycare from page 1A
we select knows how to do development of
this project. It’s a blank piece of land and
has been for a long, long time. We have to
go from ground nothing to a building. I
want them to know how to develop it and
operate it.”
Councilman Kevin Romick suggested
a compromise: “Break it into two separate
requirements: one to make sure they have
some experience in building a project from
the ground up. The second one is do they
have previous experience in running a day
care.”
Nix and Mayor Bruce Connelley want
to give more weight in the selection process
to a local business owner than an outsider if
their proposals are similarly qualifi ed.
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Photo by Dave Roberts
A motorist crosses the Union Pacifi c Railroad’s Moccoco Line
on Lone Tree Way, where the signal arms have been mostly
raised and dormant for many years.
East County offi cials had originally hoped to use the
Moccoco Line to run eBART trains from the Bay Point
BART Station to Byron beginning next year. But that plan
fell through after Union Pacifi c declined to sell the right-ofway
for eBART.
That change in plan will result in eBART trains running
down the Highway 4 median from Bay Point BART to Hillcrest
Avenue – scheduled to be complete in 2015. But without
use of the Moccoco line tracks, it might take decades before
eBART extends south to Oakley, Brentwood and Byron.
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But City Attorney Alison Barratt-
Green said she was not sure if that would
be legal, but added that “there will be a variety
of subjective considerations that the
screening committee will need to take into
account.”
Anderson said she’s looking forward to
the site being developed: “This property has
been waiting for a long time to come out of
City to
host public
forum
The city of Oakley will be
hosting a Downtown Public
Forum on Wednesday, July 30
at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3231
Main St., in the Council Chambers.
The Oakley City Council,
through its Strategic Plan, has
been working to provide a new
Downtown Specifi c Plan. This
planning document will guide
the future development of the
historic downtown Oakley
area for the next several years.
The forum will focus on
two areas: the design concepts
for the downtown and the zoning
of the downtown. Attendees
will see a visual presentation
of downtown architecture,
roads and pedestrian areas as it
relates to the plan, and participate
in an exercise to discuss
uses in the three zoning areas
in the district.
For more information,
visit www.oakleyinfo.com or
call Economic/Redevelopment
Director Barbara Mason at
925-625-7016.
the ground. The area has 610 children that
are underserved. I want the best.”
The deadline to submit a proposal is
5 p.m. on Aug. 15 at City Hall, 3231 Main
St. For more information, call Economic
Development Director Barbara Mason at
925-625-7016.
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thepress.net.