To the editor:

At the Feb. 6 Brunswick Town Council meeting, six of the nine councilors voted to table a decision on whether to draft a letter asking the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority ( NNEPRA) to follow the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Site Law Process and Standards for the proposed maintenance facility in West Brunswick.

The expansion of passenger rail service has been made and fortunately Amtrak will soon make runs to Brunswick. But the 60,000-square-foot metal building and related outside services — essentially a train yard — is a separate issue.

The neighbors in West Brunswick are working with NNEPRA to mitigate the noise and vibrations that will occur during 24/7 operation of this garage as close as 25 yards from their homes. The mitigation would aim to prevent noise and vibrations from disturbing people trying to sleep as train maintenance is performed.

This is new territory for these Brunswick residents, and they are looking to the town to set the bar at least to the minimum standards set by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Agency.

Please call councilors Margo Knight, Joanne King, David Watson, Benjamin Tucker, Suzan Wilson and Gerald Favreau, and ask them to endorse asking NNEPRA to follow DEP guidelines for all construction in Brunswick.

Julie Wise,
Brunswick

letters@timesrecord.com