Jill Ament

A new policy -- pleasant to some people's ears -- will take effect this summer in San Marcos. Jill Ament explains, in this Bobcat Update.

You can hear it for miles: the sound of a freight train blowing its horn as it roars through the San Marcos city limits.
But it's a sound that's got the City Council working on a project that will create Railroad Quiet Zones in the city. The ordinance has been in the making for several years.
SB:Guerrero, "Since 2006 or 2007…"
Phase one of the project will turn 26 railroad crossings in San Marcos into Quiet Zones. Mayor Daniel Guerrero says at these locations the crossing gates, medians and warning systems will have to be improved.
SB: Guerrero, "Union Pacific Railroad requirements....
Phase two will focus on the railroad crossings at Uhland and Post Roads. But some residents and business owners in that area worry safety is still going to be an issue.
SB: Dr. Henry Oles
Oles has lived in San Marcos for more than 40 years. He's been the owner of the Old Mill Station Business Park for half of those years.
SB: Oles, "... if people living close to the tracks have a problem with noise, they shouldn't have moved there in the first place."
Mayor Guerrero says he hopes the ordinance will ultimately improve the lives of San Marcos residents.
SB: Guerrero
Stand up:Whichever side of the tracks you're on about this proposal, the decision stands: implementation of the Railroad Quiet Zones will begin this summer. For Bobcat Update, I'm Jill Ament.