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BY SUSAN BROWN
sbrown@nwitimes.com
219.836.3780 | Tuesday, October 07, 2008 | (6 comment(s))
HAMMOND | The state will receive the bulk of a $50,000 ticket settlement between the Lake Country prosecutor's office and Norfolk Southern Railroad.
With the court approving the settlement Sept. 26, City Clerk Robert Golec has released the distribution of the $50,000 check the railroad wrote as the penalty for blocking Hammond streets.
Until a July 8 conference between the railroad and prosecutors, more than 1,500 tickets, issued since at least 2004, had remained unprosecuted. The conference resulted in the state signing off on an old agreement reached several years ago as well as a new agreement settling additional tickets.
The railroad initially had faced more than $850,000 in penalties, but on the day of the conference, the railroad wrote a single check for $50,000 to cover both agreements.
Golec said with the agreement now approved by the court, $45,600 will go to the state with the city of Hammond receiving $2,400 and Lake County $2,000.
In settling the tickets, the railroad also agreed to try to begin honoring an informal operational agreement, reached in 2006, to stop east of Grand Avenue.
At the time of the settlement conference, Justin Murphy, chief of staff for the Four City Consortium, said the operational issue had contributed to the ticketing. The consortium, composed of Hammond, Gary, East Chicago and Whiting, was formed in part to reconfigure the use of rail tracks to ease congestion.
Norfolk Southern trains were being held at Arizona Street, causing blockages at Parrish Avenue, 173rd Street and Grand Avenue, which involve three schools and a fire station, Murphy said at the time.
On Monday, Murphy said 17 citations have been issued to the railroad since the July conference and the railroad does not appear to be complying with the operational agreement.
Murphy said residents continue to complain about the blockages, which city police confirm.
"We've requested a copy of any (operational) directive that has been issued," Murphy said. "Train engineers don't comply until a directive has been issued."
Reached Monday, Geoffrey Blazi, an attorney who represented Norfolk Southern during the July conference, said he was not able to make immediate comment on the matter.
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Curious wrote on Oct 7, 2008 11:23 PM:
Lifer wrote on Oct 7, 2008 12:11 PM:
Way to go Hammond wrote on Oct 7, 2008 8:16 AM:
Thats It wrote on Oct 7, 2008 7:47 AM:
What a joke wrote on Oct 7, 2008 7:02 AM:
NSRR wrote on Oct 7, 2008 5:36 AM:
Last I heard cities were self governing units and have no need to share revenue.
Maybe mitch will give back that 50K to the town of Hammond to help in flood relief.
Yea, right after pigs grow wings and he takes his 10% handling charge. "