As a tempest of opposition to a state bullet train project brews
in South County, residents and City Council members will have an
opportunity to ask questions of rail authority leaders during a
special meeting Monday.
As a tempest of opposition to a state bullet train project brews in South County, residents and City Council members will have an opportunity to ask questions of rail authority leaders during a special meeting Monday.
The meeting agenda provides no details about what will be discussed.
Councilman Perry Woodward, however, said he wants to know where the rail line will be placed and whether it will be trenched – information that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has yet to provide.
“Frankly, to a large extent, I just think this is a dog and pony show they’re putting on,” Woodward said.
Community activist Yvonne Sheets-Saucedo sent an e-mail this week to concerned residents demanding that rail officials address questions about a range of topics, such as whether the City of Gilroy will have to pay for a 6,600-car parking garage and what the project’s impact will be on surrounding property values.
“This process is moving very quickly and it is of urgent importance that the community becomes aware, involved and provides input at every opportunity,” Sheets-Saucedo wrote.
The $45-billion, 800-mile California High-Speed Rail system, expected to begin full operations in 2020, is slated to have routes from San Diego to Sacramento and to the Bay Area, transporting passengers at speeds of up to 220 mph. A 123-mile stretch from Merced to San Jose would run through the Pacheco Pass and plans include a station in Gilroy.
High-speed rail representatives last spoke before the council May 3, when they provided information about potential routes that the project could take through the Gilroy area. The rail authority released a draft document last month that outlined possibilities of aligning tracks with the Monterey Street corridor, with U.S. Route 101 east of Gilroy or a combination of those routes.
Few details pertaining to the Gilroy-area portion of the project have emerged since that time. Gary Kennerley, regional project manager, said at a June 28 meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn that it will be about a year before a draft environmental impact report comes out with more specific information on rail route impacts.
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Cat Tucker said she planned to press rail officials.
“I don’t know if they’re going to give us any answers, but we’re going to keep asking questions,” she said.
What: Special City Council meeting on High-Speed Rail
Where: Gilroy City Council Chambers, 7351 Rosanna St.
When: 5:30 p.m. Monday
