PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP ? The residents have rallied and the volunteers have pleaded for the trains to stay.
But the mayor says he will stand by his decision to pursue the removal of the 12 trains and rail cars at the North Pemberton Historic Railroad Station.
?I?ve stated my position from day one,? Mayor David Patriarca said. ?I?m not going to sit here and go on and on like some people want us to. It?s not going to change.?
The mayor?s comments were in response to a protest by about two dozen Pemberton Township Historic Trust supporters outside the municipal building Wednesday night. The demonstrators then poured into the Township Council?s meeting afterward and relayed their concerns to the governing body, even though the topic was not listed on the meeting agenda.
Concerned residents and Historic Trust members hoped to persuade the mayor and?council to reopen the train station and nature trails behind the yard, filled with static train displays.
As the situation continues to be litigated and Patriarca pursues a court order to remove the trains, the?council has had limited power to overturn the decision. Patriarca said the long public comment sessions will not deter his commitment to ridding the community of the large artifacts, which he has described as ?eyesores? and a liability to the town.
?We?re in a process now and it is in litigation,? the mayor said at the meeting. ?Let it work itself out and stop wasting everyone?s time.?
Patriarca said a new lease was negotiated between the township and Historic Trust after the original lease was terminated by the council in October, when there were hopes of ending the litigation and encouraging new negotiations. He said the sides had agreed to keep two trains at the township-owned station and remove the rest from the site on Fort Dix Road. The?new lease would have allowed the trust?s volunteers back inside the station to operate the museum, but the?lease was never signed by the trust.
?Unfortunately, we are still going through a process that costs money,? Patriarca said. ?But we have negotiated and we agreed to terms, and they refused to sign the contract.?
Trust members said the terms of the contract changed after negotiations and that they didn?t feel comfortable signing it. That led to another stalemate while the issue is being sorted out in court.
Patriarca said he thinks another court ruling could be handed down in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Councilman Rick Prickett has tried repeatedly to pass a resolution that would rescind the October ruling that terminated the lease and reinstate it. But the council has not supported the action, stating that the resolution would not be able to legally overturn the previous decision.
Prickett said the trust has no plans of going quietly.
?It?s been two years since school buses have come to the station,? he said. ?It?s been two years of history wasted. ? We need to let them know over and over until their thick heads hear it.?
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48931610/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/
jeff who lives at home 49ers news saint louis university leprechaun night at the museum pope shenouda bolton muamba
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন