Bellingham Comments from Digital Recorder - EISs for the Proposed ...

GATEWAY PACIFIC TERMINAL EIS SCOPING HEARING VOL. II
COURT REPORTER: BETH DRUMMOND PROCEEDING DATE: October 27, 2012
Page 59
1 Please state your name for the record.
2 THE SPEAKER: Thank you. My name is Cheryl
3 Crooks. I'm a resident of Bellingham.
4 I would like to thank you for having this hearing
5 today with the opportunity to discuss our concerns.
6 We've heard a great deal about good jobs now.
7 But I'd like to ask you: "What about good jobs later?"
8 I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, through
9 which the coal trains rolled several times daily. When they
10 do, that town is cut in half. There are only a few places
11 where you can cross, from one side of town to the other.
12 The challenge at that time becomes driving down
13 the streets; looking down the streets, can I cross there;
14 can I cross there; can I cross there; until you find the
15 critical spot where you can.
16 And that town started like that. I would like --
17 economically, when I grew up there, it was a very viable,
18 thriving small town. Now they are struggling. It's a very
19 sad thing to go back and see.
20 I would like to request that the EIS include a
21 look at the jobs that are going to be lost due to the impact
22 that this project will have on the train traffic, in
23 particular, because of the heavy access that will remain in
24 the Bellingham waterfront and downtown.
25 Community-wise we still have things to study