Empty rail cars are riling up neighbors in Lakeville

Lakeville residents troubled by the continued presence of empty rail cars being stored on tracks in residential areas are vowing to keep making noise until a solution is found.

Not satisfied by the explanation that federal law permits the cars to be there, a resident task force says safety, financial and quality-of-life issues are too real to be ignored. Residents who have lived with the empty cars in their neighborhoods for months say their property values have suffered and homes that are on the market have no chance of selling unless the cars are removed.

Dave Fellon, president of Progressive Rail Inc., met with about 50 residents this week at Heritage Library in Lakeville. Lakeville Police Chief Tom Vonhof, Fire Chief Scott Nelson, State Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville, and a representative of the office of U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., also attended.

About 350 cars are being stored in and around Lakeville, Fellon said, because the company simply has nowhere else to put them. The sour economy has led to the cars sitting idle, and they need to be stored in areas that don't disrupt regular rail traffic.

In the meantime, residents are left to deal with looking at cars defaced by vulgar graffiti, unlocked cars that draw suspicious activity and an eyesore none of them expected.

While acknowledging their pain, Fellon said the cars likely will sit there until an upturn in the economy gets them back in service.

Residents have asked for increased police patrols along the tracks because of reports of suspicious behavior. Vonhof said the Police Department received 26 calls from residents from May through October, leading to 24 trespassing citations.

Vonhof said in most cases the suspicious activity amounted to "kids hanging around.''

"We've adopted a zero-tolerance policy in these situations,'' Vonhof said.

"We've found when you take an aggressive approach, it has a deterring effect.''

Nelson said he is concerned because on more than one occasion trains have blocked the only entrance to a subdivision while not having a flagman monitoring the situation as required by law. Fellon said his company would comply in the future.

Pam Steinhagen, a resident who helped organize the meeting, vowed to keep working with Progressive Rail to find a solution.

"Neighborhood safety, graffiti and crime, the cost of extra police patrols, diminished home values and the beauty of our city are at stake,'' Steinhagen said. "That should be a concern to all.''

One possible, albeit expensive, solution would be to have Lakeville or Dakota County provide Progressive Rail with land for a rail park. Fellon said it would take about 25 acres.

"There's plenty of land,'' he said.

Dean Spiros • 952-882-9283