Port Canaveral Railway Meeting Update..

SpaceCoast Slayer

Well honestly it went about as good as it could have.. We had approx 250-300 people show up.. all the seats in the meeting room filled up in a heartbeat and everyone was packed in standing where ever they could manage, plus 100 or more people flooding their lobby.. long story short, the port claims they are hammering on NASA and the AF to tap into existing infrastructure.. there is still a two year environmental impact study pending by the Surface Transportation Board to see if the proposed route is environmentally feasible, and if all else fails, the port CLAIMS the railroad bridge will be one long elevated trestle rather than the earthen causeway they originally proposed.. We don't WANT that but it is still better than damming up the river with two miles of berms..






It was supposed to be strictly a briefing but thanks to a few outspoken individuals (namely one Capt Alex Gorichky), it turned into a Q&A session with lots of hardballs thrown their way.. The decision will mostly hinge on the STB enviro impact study .. IMO, the fact that they would reconsider the physical construction of the bridge and elevate the whole thing means that they are feeling the heat and we are being heard.. this is why it is of the utmost importance that those in opposition of this project GET INVOLVED! You CAN make a difference even if it seems like a david vs goliath battle.. there are several more of these briefings in the works to be announced at a later date that we who support the No Fill No Kill movement plan on attending and I will post here as soon as I get dates... Thank you to anyone who came out tonight, it truly makes a difference..

SpaceCoast Slayer

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/ports-rail-link-plan-meets-opposition/26658197/

Here is a link to a story Florida Today put out this morning

DeHaven

It was a good meeting. The statement about putting the rail through the afb costing 1/3 less seems like a no brainer to me. We need to attract some Bald Eagle nests in the areas they want run the rail up through N Merritt Island. And scrub jays and other protected species.

gatorhook

I hope you are right. But truly, money isn't an object to the pigs. They will build it across 528. In the end the mouse will be streaming it's patrons to and fro. From the parks to the ships. This isn't about cargo and slag. It will justify the pavement because of JOBS. Thanks for standing ground on this guys. Maybe they heard you, but I doubt they care.. The money is in the new infrastructure. Development. And they clearly stated that going through existing AFB would create security issues in previous discussions. Money is not an object. They write blank checks with our names on the account.

KeyWestCaptain

If you are concerned about kayak fishing in the No Motor Zone or fishing anyplace else in the northern Banana and Indian River lagoons, please take a moment to read these couple of items on the proposed earthen-dam railway that the Canaveral Port Authority wants to erect through the No Motor Zone, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and world's largest manatee sanctuary.
http://ow.ly/Msens

Also, check this out to see how the Canaveral Port Authority is responding:
http://ow.ly/Mseqm

To learn more about the petition against this plan, visit: http://ow.ly/Msetz