Dateline: August 23, 2007

Trains will keep blowing whistles thru Clarendon

Clarendon residents have “heard that train a comin’” for 120 years; and following action by city aldermen last Tuesday, the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train whistles will keep on blowing.

The issue of the train whistles came up after Lauraine Paul addressed the board in July and said that the whistle is a nuisance since the railroad doesn’t provide any service to the community.

Paul asked the city to enact a Quiet Zone – a half-mile inside the city limits where trains would not blow their whistles.

Following that meeting, City Hall conducted an informal survey of citizens and announced the results last week. Two people were in favor of the Quiet Zone, and 98 were against the zone.

The board voted unanimously to seek no change to the train whistles in the city.

In other city business, Roger Estlack addressed the board on behalf of the Saints’ Roost Museum, seeking funding for the upcoming Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff. Aldermen authorized $2,500 for this purpose. Estlack thanked the board and also asked aldermen as they plan the city budget to consider supporting the museum with a monthly stipend from the Motel Bed Tax fund to help defray utility expenses.

Mayor Mark White reminded the board that former Clarendon College president Myles Shelton had resigned from the Clarendon Economic Development Board in June and said the city needed to name a replacement for him. Aldermen appointed Courtney Newhouse to fill the remainder of Shelton’s term.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts updated the board on the waterworks project for the west end of town and said a contractor had been contacted regarding the boring for that job. Roberts also said he was not sure when the seal coat project would start.

Alderman Tommy Hill listed streets that need potholes seen about and inquired about warranty work that needs to be done on the city’s new streets.

Mayor White said the warranty was up in July but that the contractor had been notified before then. City officials will contact the city engineer to find out what’s being done on this issue.