NORTH MANCHESTER – After hearing from representatives of Norfolk-Southern and Indiana Department of Transportation Wednesday, the North Manchester Town Council may consider closing at least one railroad crossing in town.
Derrick Mason, a safety manager with the railroad, and Charles Carson, a railroad manager with INDOT, recommended several crossings in town that need upgraded safety measures or complete closure. They strongly recommended closing the crossing at Beckley Street, and said it may be safest to close the crossing at Thorn Street as well.
The state would contribute $50,000 toward each road closure, Carson said, while Mason told the council Norfolk-Southern would pay an incentive of up to $20,000 for each closure.
The rail line runs north-south through western North Manchester, parallel to Beckley Street. It crosses several roads within town limits, including Ind. 13.
Council members indicated they would be willing to close the Beckley crossing, where Carson and Mason said it would be difficult to install crossing gates because of the curve of the road and its intersection with 4th Street. Members seemed less willing to close Thorn Street, where a crossing gate could more easily be installed.
“Thorn is easy, but I don't see any way to do Beckley... It has all the worst characteristics of a crossing,” Carson told the council. “We want to see the entire corridor in town here protected.”
Town Marshall Jeff Perry and Fire Chief Cam Kissinger agreed that closing Beckley would be less of an issue than Thorn.
“Whenever something happens and the train is stopped, we're always on the wrong side,” Perry remarked.
The council agreed to schedule a public hearing early next year. They also will discuss the possible closures with bus drivers, the post office and others who use town roads regularly.
Also during the meeting, the council approved an amendment to the 2011 salary ordinance that gives a one-time bonus to all town employees. The bonus, 2 percent of base pay, may be distributed as early as Monday.
Council member Jim Smith noted that since the 2011 budget was smaller than expected, the town agreed last December not to give raises but to give bonuses if department heads were conservative with their budgets.
“I think department heads were frugal, but didn't have less service than usual,” council President Chris Garber observed.
