Editorial on Proposed Layover Station
Submitted by: William C. (Bud) Taylor
March 3, 2010
As a spokesperson and voice for the Labor Movement in North Central Massachusetts I need to set the record straight on Labor’s position regarding the location of a rail "layover facility" for commuter trains in the Westminster Business Park.
The Labor Movement is all about social justice and environmental stewardship, so it doesn’t support this specific location of the layover station in the Westminster Business Park.
What is most concerning to not only Labor Leaders, but also Town Officials, Community Based Organizations, and Environmental Groups as well is the apparent deception used by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MRTA) in obtaining this grant. MRTA is positing a letter of support from September 9, 2009, that was requested from an uninformed Westminster Board of Selectmen who were misled by MRTA Administrator Mohammed Khan.
During the environmental review process the Westminster Board of Selectman realized this location for a layover yard was ill conceived and unequivocally withdrew their support for the layover station on December 9, 2009, in a letter to Secretary Ian Bowles, weeks prior to the December 29, 2009 decision issued by him to provide a MEPA certification for this project. MRTA & Mr. Khan deliberately withheld this vital piece of information from the deciding authorities for this project.
The Labor Movement supports the TIGER Grant and the intended purpose of job creation with reduction in commuter automobile traffic down the Route 2 corridor.
Labor [Unions] supports:
- The Wachusett Commuter Rail Facility.
- Expansion of the Commuter Rail services to Working Families.
- Creation of quality short-term construction jobs subject to the Davis-Bacon Act -Prevailing Wage and Service Contract Act requirements under ARRA through the TIGER Grant on this project.
- Creation of quality good paying long-term jobs at future businesses paying property taxes to the Town on this property in the Westminster Business Park, which was designated and zoned for this purpose.
- Preservation of resources and environmental remediation of existing contaminated sites for Reuse and Redevelopment at the existing rail yards in Fitchburg and/or Gardner where Working Families are currently subjected to pollution and economic hardship.
- Enhancement in the Quality of Life for Working Families in all communities, not just Westminster.
Labor [Unions] DO NOT support:
- Decreasing abutting residential property values on Working Families that own the adjacent properties by increasing environmental degradation of the Westminster Business Park with toxic pollutants, noise, vibration, light and runoff from rail maintenance operations.
- Increasing property tax burden on Working Families in Westminster due to the loss of property tax on the proposed rail yard parcel(s) in the Westminster Business Park.
- Loss of future job opportunities in the Westminster Business Park because the rail yard will produce no net new jobs, wherever it is located.
- Negative impacts on the quality of life for Working Families using Crocker Pond which was paid for with millions of dollars of their tax dollars to preserve a recreation facility to enjoy during their non-working hours with their families.
In short, the Labor Movement is as perplexed as any other community based organization as to why this location in the Westminster Business Park was chosen, when there are other much more logical choices along this same track?
Unions may be behind the overall project, but were never ever behind this location for a layover facility.
As a spokesman for the Labor Movement in the area, I can say with certainty that there are better locations and Working Families will benefit more from those locations than this one and don’t want the layover in the Westminster Business Park.
Also, I should state that I know Congressman John Olver and Mohammed Khan personally, having worked on many issues with them over the years. I consider them both friends. Both are extremely intelligent men and I am certain they are hearing the input they are getting from the community. My guess is they will do the right thing and work quickly to locate this facility in a better place than Westminster Business Park and hurt the community.
Finally, this very last week I listened to both Mayor Hawke, from Gardner, and Wong, from Fitchburg, during a Massachusetts Municipal Association meeting where they both talked at length about how difficult the financial situations are in their City budgets. Tell both Mayor Hawke and Wong that you want them to do the right thing to help bring revenue to their Cities' and ask for this funding to be brought to their communities for improving the existing rail yards.
William C. {Bud} Taylor II
Westminster
Note: Author/Contributor is the former Political Director and Secretary for the AFL-CIO North Worcester Central Labor Council and currently the leader of a public sector union with 2000 members in bargaining units.