January 24, 2007
MAYOR CANON ATTENDS U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
Mayor Mike Canon will participate in the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. Over 800 leaders, including 200 mayors, plus business leaders and top federal officials, convene January 24-26, 2007, for the 75th winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The Conference of Mayors provides an opportunity to mayors to share best practices with each other and the nation on what is working in America’s cities. The focus will be on key issues and challenges affecting cities including energy/climate change, crime prevention, the Community Development Block Grant, affordable housing, public housing, infrastructure, workforce, children/youth, homeland security, and unfunded mandates.
Many top speakers are participating including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA); Senators Chuck Hagel (NE), Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Joseph Biden (DE), Norm Coleman (MN), Chris Dodd (CT), Barbara Boxer (CA), and Robert Menendez (NJ); and Representatives Bennie Thompson (MS), James Oberstar (MN), Edward Markey (MA) and Robert "Bobby" Scott (VA).
WORKERS POUR CONCRETE FOR QUIET ZONE
After weeks of weather that would not cooperate, concrete will be poured at the first of nine railroad crossing intersections. The ultimate goal is to make Midland’s railroad crossings even safer while eliminating the sound of train horns within the city limits.
On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, workers will pour concrete at the intersection of Carver and Front before moving the construction west to the next intersection (Terrell and Front).
In all, nine railroad intersections will be constructed wit the concrete medians. The medians will be constructed on both sides of each intersection (two at each location). They are similar to those already in place at the Lamesa Road and Midkiff Road intersections. The medians will be three feet wide by six inches tall. Length will range from 50-100 feet depending on the intersection.
Contractors will work on one intersection at a time working west. Each crossing should take one week to complete. The intersection will be closed from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. during the construction with the route being open during the remainder of the day. The entire project is expected to take 70 days. Contractors will work through the weekend to play “catch-up” due to the cold and wet weather conditions.
Once a concrete median is in place, the City of Midland Transportation Division will place reflective buttons around the edges and on the top of each median.
Once the entire project is complete, the City will file for intent to establish a quiet zone. Citizens can expect a quiet zone to be in place by March with train horns no longer sounding inside Midland city limits.
The City of Midland has a total of 11 railroad crossings. All of the railroad crossings have safety gates. Efforts to install gates at each intersection were completed in 2001 with the installation of gates at four intersections that did not already have the devices.
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