Large possible railroad development in Dorchester; landowners nervous

from 56.38 Howe Enterprise February 4, 2019

Living with children

What started out as a reach out from Grayson County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Whitmire to Congressman John Ratcliffe to help alleviate the problem with standing trains in Dorchester blocking FM 902, has turned into a full-blown expansion development project by BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway. The City of Dorchester, Grayson County, and Howe Independent School District would stand to benefit greatly from the development. However, Dorchester landowners are not so excited about the possibility

"We've been trying to get something done to quit blocking (FM) 902," said Whitmire. "We're looking at this from an emergency management perspective of getting vehicles through."

On Dec. 4, 2018 Whitmire and Dorchester Mayor David Smith expected to meet with BNSF's operational team to discuss a passing track to allow flowing trains to pass in Dorchester instead of standing. However, BNSF's economic development team fronted the meeting which went in a different direction resulting in a discussion of a different scenario to solve the problem at FM 902. The proposal was a logistics center in the Dorchester area that would combine with the diversion of the rail traffic from stopping.

"We thought the meeting was about either extending

Paperwork hiccup causes city to send public notice regarding water

Remember that time you forgot to turn in your homework and you got a zero for a grade? Well, that recently happened with the City of Howe. But unlike when that happened to you, the teacher here, TCEQ, required the city to tell everyone in town about their slip up. Letters were sent to residents in town that disclosed a failure to submit a disinfectant level quarterly operating report.

The letter's first paragraph (required TCEQ verbiage) scared some residents into thinking there was something wrong with the water as it read: The City oy HOWE water system has violated the monitoring/reporting requirements set by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The third quarter report of 2018 was not submitted, therefore requiring the notice to be sent out. the passing track, but instead it was moving the passing track but also adding the logistics center to it," said Dorchester Mayor David Smith.

The City of Howe assures that the quality of drinking water in Howe has not been compromised.

Several of these logistics and distribution locations have been built throughout the U.S. where products are arrived by rail and dispersed by trucks.

Whitmire said BNSF showed the county conceptual plans with the intentions of contacting landowners to purchase approximately 1,160 acres to build the logistics center

Since early December, BNSF began the process of contacting landowners to discuss the development and a possible purchase of land. Nearly 800 of the 1,160 acres needed for the project is owned by the Norman family and the