Fencing along railroad tracks to be funded by Union Pacific

by Lawerence W. Synett

The Village of Villa Park recently

announced an agreement with Union Pacific

which will place approximately 1,500 feet of

fencing along the railroad tracks from Westmore

Avenue to the western edge of Villa Park.

The $67,000 fencing, which will be

completely funded by Union Pacific, will

provide a protective barrier against

individuals wanting to cross the tracks at

illegal locations.

"When I got the call saying the funding

was approved, I was off the chair because we

were just waiting patiently for the news," said

Villa Park Village President Joyce Stupegia.

This past March, Stupegia created the

President's Committee on Public Safety to

address railroad safety concerns in the village

after the death of Kristen Bowen, a 14-yearold

area resident who was struck by a train in

Villa Park in February.

The committee, which consists of

members of the community, elected officials

from both local and state government and

representatives from Union Pacific,

proceeded to meet several times to discuss the

measures to enhance railroad safety.

According to Stupegia, the idea of and the

funding for the 6-foot-high fencing couldn't

have been done without the committee.

"The [Villa Park] police have been very

proactive but they needed citizen and

legislative help," said Stupegia. "We are

sincere about this and will continue this

process and hopefully move to a zerotolerance

policy when it comes to tragedies

happening on the tracks."

Villa Park Village Manager Bob Niemann,

who was an intricate part of the process to

obtain the funding, was happy with the recent

news.

"Union Pacific felt it was a safety

enhancement and want to make this a safer

area," said Niemann. "The fence will prevent

accidents to those innocent people just

looking for a shortcut."

At the Oct. 19 Lombard village board

meeting, board members approved a

recommendation to install fencing along the

Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from

Western/Chase to Westmore Avenue.

The committee also focused on education

about railroad safety and the enforcement of

safety procedures, along with the investigation

for funding the protective fencing.

While focusing on education and

enforcement, the committee, along with the

Villa Park Police Department, was able to

obtain a $32,000 grant that helped the village

place warning signs along the railroad tracks

where the fencing will be located.

The money from the grant also went and

continues to go toward educating children and

families alike on railroad safety, and has

allowed the Villa Park police to perform

railroad "blitzes" at areas where residents are

prone to cross the railroad tracks illegally.

"We are number one as far as getting our

message out there when it comes to education

and enforcement, and the fencing is going to be

a real deterrent to people who are trying to cross

where they shouldn't be," stated Stupegia.

While the fencing is being put into place, the

Villa Park Public Works Department and Parks

and Recreation Department will clean up the

area where the fencing will be located.

"The whole section being fenced is going

to be beautified," added Stupegia. "The more

pleasing it looks, hopefully the more

respected it will be."

Now that the funding for the fencing has

been approved, stated Stupegia, the

committee will look at ways to fund fencing

from Addison Road to Ardmore Avenue, near

Lufkin Park.

The committee is also in the process of

applying to become a not-for-profit

organization.

Villa Park Village Trustee Thomas

Cullerton was very excited to hear the news

that the fencing was approved and going to be

funded by Union Pacific.

"It's excellent," said Cullerton. "It didn't

come out of the budget, serves a fantastic

purpose and will connect with Lombard's. It's

a great thing."