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Resident urges Middlebury to pursue emergency railway crossing after repeated Seymour Street floods
Summary
At a select board meeting a resident said repeated floods at the Seymour Street underpass threaten emergency access and asked the town to negotiate temporary railway crossing options for emergency vehicles; the board agreed to add the topic to a near-term agenda and to have the fire chief brief members.
Kevin Farizo, a Middlebury resident, told the select board that repeated flooding at the Seymour Street underpass has left the community at risk of delayed emergency response and urged the town to press the railroad and state partners for temporary crossing solutions. "What I don't understand is why we cannot engage in very serious negotiation, discussion, with the railway for simply the ability of having an emergency access that would only be for emergency vehicles," Farizo said, describing multiple high-water incidents over the last three years.
The chair acknowledged the concern and asked staff to schedule the item for a near-term agenda so the fire chief can present options and information about negotiations with the railway and possible temporary measures. "Can we put this on a soon agenda for us and have the chief be able to talk and try to get more information about the railway and temporary fixes and stuff like that," the chair said.
Board members and the resident discussed examples of temporary crossings used elsewhere, including rubber-mat or staged crossing material, and noted the operational and regulatory hurdles of working with railroads. The resident told the board that surface water rose above curbs near Fire and Ice restaurant and that some businesses reported sump-pump failures during the most recent storm.
Next steps: the select board asked staff to add the matter to a future agenda and invited the chief to brief members on emergency-access options and railroad contact status. No formal motion or vote was recorded on this agenda item.
