Pennies from heaven
To the Editor:
It appears that the “railroad fairy” has arrived in Plymouth and abracadabra, magically the money for the mayor's monster railroad will come like “pennies from heaven.”
It will come in the form of federal stimulus money, state grants, state loans, and the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad will pick up the 20 percent required by state law. This is all according to the Sept. 29 issue of the Review.
It appears that taxpayers won't have to pay a cent of the approximate $20 million for the reconstructed rail line to Kohler. Just whom do they think they're kidding?
We, along with citizens across the state will be paying. Paying to have our beautiful city become the new rail yard in Sheboygan County.
Also Sept. 29 more detailed information appeared, albeit in a Milwaukee paper, the Daily Reporter. The article titled “Neighbor Fights Plymouth Freight Line” quoted our mayor when he said in an interview that the industrial plant he's courting would send 220 boxcars a day on this line. The $3 million the city of Plymouth must borrow to pay our share of the rail project, will be paid back with interest by charging $10 for every train car that crosses Plymouth tracks, according to our mayor.
Finally this Milwaukee paper lets us in on the fact that two public forums will be held Oct. 22 and Oct. 26 to give us more information. More specific details will emerge around Nov. 5 when the Planning Commission meets, the mayor stated in an interview with the Daily Reporter.
It certainly would be helpful if our local press and the mayor would come forward with more details. The mayor implied he couldn't do so in a more timely fashion because this is a private company, which is not receiving any government money.
Remember, it’s the railroad fairy who's responsible for the largess to pay for this railroad monstrosity; it's really not government money.
I urge you to call members of the City Council, the Planning Commission, and the mayor to voice your concerns. Call City Hall or stop by to get names and telephone numbers. It's not too late to derail this whole project.
Jean Hamm
