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Aug 18, 2008 5:29 pm US/Central
Proposed Colleyville "T" Stop Causing Controversy
COLLEYVILLE (CBS 11 News) ―
There's controversy brewing in Colleyville over the Fort Worth Transportation Authority's proposed southwest to northeast commuter rail line.
Some worried Colleyville residents don't want the "T" to stop in their city.
The proposed station would look similar the one at Bell Spur Road and Hurst Boulevard. The line would start in Fort Worth and end at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – making stops in cities along the way.
The "T" already runs from Fort Worth to Dallas. The new rail line proposed by the "T" would run southwest from Fort Worth, then northeast to DFW Airport, along the current Cotton Belt Railway.
Highway 26 at John McCain Road is one of 13 proposed stops along the way.
"We don't see the need for it," explained Colleyville resident Lisa Bernardo, who is against the proposed stop. "And we don't want the city spending money on this that can be spent for other things that the city needs."
Colleyville mayor David Kelley encourages community input. "I wholly encourage that people speak their opinion. The one way we can make the best decision is to know the citizen's sentiment on that."
One of the major issues concerning the line is cost. Colleyville officials say it'll cost around $1 million a year, to build and maintain the line. "We have to look at our legislators to fund this," Kelley says. "There are five cities involved along this "T" rail and three of the cities do not have the funding available." Colleyville is one of those three cities.
Besides funding there are other concerns about building a rail station in the city. Residents in a nearby residential neighborhood are worried about an increase in crime. "We don't want our property values to take a dive or change," Bernardo said.
The Colleyville City Council formed a citizen's committee to look into the issue. The group will present their findings Tuesday at a pre-council meeting at 5:30 p.m.
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