Union Pacific needs to be a better neighbor

I would like to extend my wholehearted thanks to the Union Pacific Railroad for being exceptionally good corporate neighbors to the citizens of Ponderay, especially those who live along the right of way between the Bonner Mall grade crossings and to just north of the Kootenai Cutoff Road grade crossing.

For between 120 to 144 hours on March 14-19, you provided us with a noisy, obnoxious symphony of locomotive noises. After 48 hours of this discordant music, I started calling the Union Pacific Railroad phone numbers, requesting that they either move the locomotives or shut them off. No one from “corporate” bothered to return my calls. Thanks so much for your promises to return the call as soon as possible. I’m still waiting.

Next, I enlisted the help of the city of POnderay, including the city clerk/administrative assistant of the mayor. One of these people was able to talk to a live body at UP. This person claimed that the locomotives could not be turned off because the cars needed constant air pressure. How interested, since half of the train sat disconnected form all sources of compressed air or its brake system south of the Bonner Mall crossing for the entire period of March 14-19. I sure love that “bovine scatology” that UP corporate throws at us private citizens.

For the further edification of Ponderay citizens, this is not the first time in recent years that UP has done this. In addition, they have taken to parking cars full of dangerous materials, petroleum, gas, anhydrous ammonia, molten sulfur, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and other substances. I sure love Union Pacific’s concerns for living, breathing human beings. I wonder what our worth in dollars is the UP corporate lawyers if they have a deadly accident. I bet not much.

If any of this bothers and seriously concerns you, I suggest you start writing to local newspapers, federal, state, county, and local offices, especially our U.S. senators, state, Department of Environmental Quality, county commissioners, mayors and city councils of Ponderay and Sandpoint. If enough of you join me, perhaps we can embarrass Union Pacific into becoming a better corporate citizen. I know, how naive of me.

PAUL FELTER

Ponderay