American Railway Development Association

THE ARDA NEWSLETTER

March 2018

Environmental Section Feature
Site Selection and Planning

Dava Kaitala
General Director, Construction Permitting
BNSF Railway Company
ARDA Environmental Section Vice Chair

In choosing a site to begin or expand rail development, there are any number of variables. Too often, customers and railroads become overwhelmed by them. While making a choice is necessary, and avoiding "analysis paralysis" is key, due diligence could still be the difference between a successful project that can be achieved within budget and schedule and one that never gets off the ground.

So what is "due diligence"? As you may have surmised, by "due diligence," I do not mean merely having ensured title is clear and a Phase 1 or Phase 2 environmental assessment has been completed. I mean something beyond that. Simply put, "due diligence" means doing the necessary homework to ensure that a project can be successfully brought to fruition.

Continue Reading Here!

Register for the 2018 Annual Meeting

For 2018, ARDA will be focusing our effort and events around the theme of "Building on Our Foundation." This theme reflects the long history of the railroad industry and our aim to look at future opportunities that take advantage of our current position and strengths. Our second event is the 2018 Annual Meeting in New York, NY, from June 10-12, 2018 which will be held at the City University of New York Graduate Center. In addition to our educational program highlighting timely issues within the railroad industry, the Annual Meeting will include a tour of the High Line Park.

Registration:

To register for the 2018 Annual Meeting please go to this link.

Hotel Block:

We have reserved a room block for Meeting attendees at the Embassy Suites by Hilton New York Midtown Manhattan. Rooms in our block can be booked by calling (800) 362-2779 and requesting a room in the "2018 Block," or by reserving a room via this link.

Other Information:

More information on the Forum can be found at www.amraildev.com/2018annualmeeting.

If you have any questions regarding the 2018 Annual Meeting please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected].

Nominate your ARDA Scholarship Candidates!

ARDA is currently accepting nominations for its 2018 Scholarship Program. As part of the program, ARDA members have the opportunity to nominate one candidate to receive one of these three available scholarships:

One (1) $2,500 President's Scholarship
Two (2) $1,250 Individual Scholarships

Silent Auction:

The scholarship is funded by the proceeds of the annual ARDA Silent Auction, which will be held this year at our Annual Meeting in New York. To donate an item to the auction, and support our scholarship program in the future, please send your items to:

American Railway Development Association

410 First Street SE

Suite 200

Washington, DC 20003

When sending in an auction item please send an email to Fred Oelsner at [email protected] to notify him of it's expected arrival date.

Scholarship Eligibility:

To be eligible for consideration, an applicant must:

Be sponsored by a current Active or Honorary ARDA member. ARDA members are permitted to sponsor one applicant per sponsorship year.
Be enrolled either:
- As a full-time college student at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university, pursuing an associate, bachelor's or graduate level degree.
- As a high school student expecting to graduate and having confirmed your enrollment at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university.

For more information on the ARDA scholarship please visit amraildev.com/scholarship. The application form can be downloaded here. To be considered, applications need to be received by April 20, 2018.

Sponsor ARDA in 2018

Thank you to all of ARDA's 2018 sponsors who are supporting us in our effort to Build on our Foundation this year! Your contributions were critical to putting together the Executive Forum in Savannah, and looking forward to the Annual Meeting in New York.

2018 ARDA Sponsors

Platinum

Bartlett & West
CN
Norfolk Southern
Union Pacific Railroad

Gold

AECOM
BNSF
Canadian Pacific
CSX Corporation
GEI Consultants
HDR
Herzog
Kansas City Southern
LJA Rail

Silver

Clear Channel Outdoor
GHD
JLL
RailPros Field Services
TerraPact

Bronze

Antea Group
Daley Mohan Groble
NRCMA
VAA

ARDA offers companies the opportunity to sponsor the association on an annual basis, or by specific events at our Annual Meeting and Executive Forum. Multiple levels of Annual Sponsorship are available for your consideration. Corporate commitments greater than $1,000 also include complimentary individual memberships in ARDA.

If you have any questions or would like to sponsor ARDA for 2018 please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] or 202-715-1259 .

Annual ARDA Sponsorships	Amount
Bronze Level	$1,000 - $2,999
Silver Level	$3,000 - $4,999
Gold Level	$5,000 - $7,499
Platinum Level	$7,500+

Time to Renew Your ARDA Membership for 2018!

If you have not yet renewed your ARDA membership for 2018, please visit our website at www.amraildev.com and log-in at the top right corner of the page.

Your renewed membership allows ARDA to continue fostering the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads through the advancement of ideas and education of its members. Members also discounted registration rates at ARDA events, including a $200 discount on the Annual Meeting!

If you are not an ARDA member and would like to join, please visit our registration page .

2017-18 ARDA Board of Directors

President: Gary Rozmus, GEI Consultants
First Vice President: Mark Holder, Bartlett & West, Inc.
Second Vice President: Doug Morrison, Bartlett & West, Inc.
Treasurer: Mike Ray, BNSF Railway Company
Secretary: Devin Sprinkle, CN
Past President: Alan Sisk, Norfolk Southern Corporation

For more information, visit the ARDA website or contact:

ARDA staff at [email protected]

The American Railway Development Association (ARDA) is a not-for-profit educational trade association founded in 1906 to promote Economic Development, Real Estate Development, Technology, and Environmental Activities of the North American Railroads.

The objectives of the Association are to foster the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads; and through the advancement of ideas and education of its members, further promote the effectiveness of railway development and related work .