HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution_12-14_04/10/2014 RESOLUTION NO. 12-14
A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF
TEQUESTA, FLORIDA, ACKNOWLEDGING AND IDENTIFYING
SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE
CONCERNS RESULTING FROM THE "ALL ABOARD FLORIDA"
PLAN; URGING LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO
ASSIST THE VILLAGE IN MITIGATING SAID CONCERNS;
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) is developing a privately owned,
operated and maintained high -speed passenger rail service named All Aboard Florida (AAF) that
will travel between Miami and Orlando with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach; and
WHEREAS, the AAF plan is to run 16 daily round -trip high -speed passenger trains
along the existing Florida East Coast (FEC) railroad corridor, resulting in 32 daily gate closings
on Tequesta Drive (as well as all other grade crossings along the FEC railroad corridor) in
addition to current gate closings for existing freight trains; and
WHEREAS, the AAF plan will result in additional lowering and raising of the train
bridge across the Loxahatchee River, creating greater opportunity for bridge mechanism failure,
which causes southbound trains to block all of the three grade crossings to the north (Riverside
Drive, Tequesta Drive and County Line Road); and
WHEREAS, the Village of Tequesta Public Safety Facility, housing both police and fire
rescue personnel and equipment, lies west of the FEC railroad corridor, while 95% of the
Village's commercial zones, including retail, restaurants and the entire US Highway 1
commercial area, along with numerous multi- family housing developments, and the entire Town
of Jupiter Inlet Colony, all of which are served by Village of Tequesta Public Safety, are located
east of the FEC railroad corridor, and
WHEREAS, additional grade crossing closures and blockages will hinder Village of
Tequesta Public Safety from being able to make timely responses to emergency calls or transport
medical patients located east of the FEC railroad corridor, compromising the health safety and
welfare of the citizens of Tequesta and all those who rely on Village of Tequesta Public Safety
services; and
WHEREAS, Marine -85, the Village of Tequesta certified Advanced Life Support (ALS)
boat, is docked at a marina east of the FEC railroad corridor; and
WHEREAS, Marine -85 cannot navigate under the train bridge across the Loxahatchee
River when it is lowered, making it impossible to reach and render assistance to boaters in the
Loxahatchee River west of the FEC railroad corridor; and
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WHEREAS the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Village of Tequesta, and
that of all those who rely on Village of Tequesta Public Safety services is the primary
responsibility of the Village Council of the Village of Tequesta; and
WHEREAS the significant risks posed to public safety response times, land and
maritime mobility, and the overall quality of life for those who live in and visit Tequesta is a
genuine threat to the public health safety and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the Village Council of the Village of Tequesta desires to bring these issues
to the attention of neighboring local governments as well as Palm Beach County, state and
federal officials, and urge all such officials to take steps to help mitigate these risks.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE
VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA, FLORIDA, THAT:
Section 1: The above recitals are fully acknowledged and incorporated into the body
of this Resolution as if fully set forth herein.
Section 2: The Village Council of the Village of Tequesta hereby calls on all of its
neighboring local officials, as well as officials from Palm Beach County, the State of Florida and
federal officials, to take all steps possible in order to mitigate the threat to the overall safety and
wellbeing of all who live, work and visit the Village of Tequesta and its neighboring
communities, by prevailing upon FECl/AFF to:
• Divert or decrease the number of freight trains along the FEC railroad corridor;
• Limit the volume of all railroad traffic (both freight and passenger) per hour during peak
times;
• Reschedule freight trains to run at night;
• Limit and schedule the times that the Loxahatchee River train bridge will be lowered;
• Upgrade the Loxahatchee River train bridge structure and/or replace the lowering and
raising mechanism to help reduce the opportunity for mechanical failure;
• Install "sealed corridor" grade crossing safety equipment;
• Install infrastructure and equipment necessary for quite zones;
• Restore grade crossings to include repaving and restriping the roadway;
• Help fund a Public Safety substation east of the FEC railroad corridor;
• Provide access to real-time train- monitoring by Village of Tequesta Public Safety
dispatchers.
Section 3: The Village Clerk is hereby directed to provide copies of this Resolution
to the Towns of Jupiter and Jupiter Inlet Colony, to Martin and Palm Beach County, and to the
State of Florida and the United States Departments of Transportation.
Section 4: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon adoption.
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The foregoing Resolution was offered by Council Member Okun who moved its adoption. The
motion was seconded by Council Member D' Ambra and upon being put to a vote, the vote was
as follows:
For Adoption Against Adoption
Mayor Abby Brennan X
Vice -Mayor Vince Arena X
Council Member Steve Okun X
Council Member Tom Paterno Absent
Council Member Frank D'Ambra X
The Mayor thereupon declared the Resolution duly passed and adopted this 10 day of April
2014.
MAYOR OF TEQUESTA
bigail re
ATTEST:
a��GE L?r i
JA C
Lori McWilliams, MMC (, a
Village Clerk N O RPORATED
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