Resolution needed in railroad flap

The Alaska Railroad Corporation and Princess Tours made a good start Saturday. They sent representatives to Talkeetna to meet with neighbors concerned about the future uses of 300 acres of prime riverfront property and the traffic those uses will generate.

That was only a start. Now there must be meaningful action.

Neighbors of the siding at the end of East Woodpecker Road were, until recently, in the dark about plans to offload tourists there, only finding out about it when a businesswoman and some reporters called the railroad to ask about rumors of construction at the siding.

It's a good thing the story broke when it did. Residents would have been downright shocked otherwise when a huge swath of woodland at the end of East Woodpecker turned into matchsticks last week under heavy machinery working to extend the road and accommodate tour buses.

The decision to put down some recycled asphalt pads then turn the old rail yard into a stop isn't a random choice. There are big railroad scheduling problems leading to congestion due to a special tourist train to and from Whittier.

Residents need to know whether this is a first step to a heavier use of that land, up to and including what some fear the most - development of a new lodge.

Whatever happens, the neighbors and the borough's budget should not bear the brunt of a new rail siding that will cause tour buses to rumble eight to 10 at a time down a dirt road that serves as access to a rural subdivision off the Talkeetna Spur.

The level of use projected will have a cumulative effect of degrading this road. If this road is going to

be used year after year for this purpose, neighbors should get a say in how it will be maintained, treated or resurfaced.

Solutions that cost money will be the immediate answer, like at least $5,000 within the next month to cover the first of three needed applications of a dust control agent. That option isn't even popular with some, who would have to keep foot and animal traffic to a minimum for two weeks to let the roadbed cure.

A disturbing aspect of this issue is the secrecy. Those who called the railroad for details about rumored construction at the end of the road found that the project was already moving ahead. Only then did the word officially get out that the decision to load buses there had been made.

Pat Gamble, president and CEO of the railroad, will attend the joint Talkeetna Town Council and Chamber of Commerce meeting May 7 at 6 p.m. to meet with the community. The timing couldn't be better.

A community that already has had one informal meeting just to get ready for the May 7 meeting will likely come out in force to Talkeetna Elementary School to seek concrete answers to either confirm or alleviate fears. They've set aside an hour for that talk. We hope the railroad brings some of those answers to Talkeetna, or it'll be a long hour, indeed.