Real Estate Section Feature
Recent developments regarding utility crossings of railroad right of way
Madeline E. Roebke-Curns
Senior General Attorney, Union Pacific Railroad
Anyone working in the area of railroad real estate is familiar with the conflicts that arise when utility companies seek access to railroad rights of way. It would be best for railroad business if railroads could completely avoid sharing their corridors with utilities. Yet, given the reality that railroads stretch north to south, east to west and every direction in between with miles of contiguous corridor, it is necessary for railroads to permit crossings for lines to bring power, gas, high speed internet and other utility necessities to the public. Recognizing this fact, the typical clash between the industries is not about whether utilities may locate in the railroad corridor but rather terms and conditions upon which the right to intersect will be granted.
The primary complaint by utility companies is that obtaining railroad agreements is time consuming and expensive. Utility companies (and their contractors) question the cost of real estate fees, insurance and flagging. Contractors, in particular, have tight time schedules to meet and are frustrated when their time schedules are affected. On the other hand, railroads are highly sensitive to ensuring compliance with their procedures to protect railroad safety and operations.
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2017 Annual Meeting Registration Open - Room Block Closes May 25!
The
2017 Annual Meeting will take place from Sunday, June 18 through the morning of Wednesday, June 21 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. We will start off on the morning of June 18 with our Early Bird Golf Tournament at the
Mirimichi Golf Course, with a reception at the Peabody Hotel finishing the day.
On Monday, June 19 we will begin our educational program and association business, and then finish the day with a riverboat cruise and reception aboard the
Memphis Queen III. Guests of Annual Meeting attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a tour of Elvis'
Graceland mansion on Monday. On Tuesday, June 20, we will wrap up our educational program and association business, and welcome attendees and guests to the President's Dinner at the Peabody Hotel. On Wednesday, June 21 a farewell breakfast will be hosted in the morning. A draft program is available
here.
Registration for attendees and their guests at the Annual Meeting and Golf Tournament is now open on the ARDA website at this
link. For guests interested in joining the Graceland tour, please contact Fred Oelsner at
staff@amraildev.com to register for that event separately.
Annual Member attendees are encouraged to book a room in the ARDA block the Peabody Hotel at a discounted rate of $185 per night. Reservations may be made via this
link, or by calling 1-800-PEABODY and requesting a room in the "American Railway Development Association Block."
Our block will close on Thursday, May 25, so book your room today!
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Contribute to the 2017 Silent Auction!
ARDA will once again be hosting a Silent Auction at the 2017 Annual Meeting. This year the Silent Auction will benefit the upcoming ARDA Sponsorship program, whose details will be announced at the Annual Meeting in Memphis. Donations in the past have included a number of different items, including railroad commemorative pieces, locomotive models, apparel, electronics and more.
Items shipped more than a week before the Annual Meeting (to arrive before June 9, 2017) may be shipped to:
American Railway Development Association
Attn: Fred Oelsner
410 First St SE
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20003
Any later donations should be shipped directly to the Peabody Hotel, to arrive between June 14-16, 2017. These donations should be shipped to:
The Peabody Hotel Memphis
Attn: Fred Oelsner, American Railway Development Association
149 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
If you have any questions regarding the Silent Auction please contact Fred Oelsner at
staff@amraildev.com for more information.
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2017 Annual Meeting Program Update
The ARDA is pleased to welcome
Mayor Jim Strickland of the City of Memphis and
Mark Herbison from the Greater Memphis Chamber to speak about the impacts of the rail industry on their city and region.
Trump and Trains - Seeking Connections
Norfolk Southern's
Bruno Maestri, will speak on the state of the railroad industry in Washington, and the impact of the new Presidential Administration.
Positive Train Control
Jason Reiner (NS),
Jo Strang (ASLRRA), and
Lisa Wilson (NS) will speak on the impacts of Postive Train Control on railroad real estate and economic development.
Autonomous Vehicles and Economic Development
Bernard Swiecki (Center for Automotive Research) will present on the impact of autonomous vehicles on the rail industry.
Railroad Condemnation - New Jersey Case Study
John Fiorilla (Capehart Scatchard) and
Malcolm Roop (NS) will do a presentation regarding the first railroad condemnation in New Jersey in 50 years.
Tennessee Valley Authority's InvestPrep
Bill L. Adams (TVA Economic Development) will present on TVA's InvestPrep program which is aimed at helping Valley communities market readied building and industrial sites.
Environmental Applications of UAS/UAV Technologies
Dillon Magers and
Stephanie Ortiz (BNSF) will speak about BNSF's work utilizing unmanned systems on projects related to environmental compliance.
Industrial Development and Real Estate Connecting to Locate a Major Project
Mike Grim and
Kelly Harris (NS) will discuss their combined efforts to locate and develop a major project in Mississippi.
Economic Benefits of Environmental Compliance
Jim Kvederas (CN),
Nathan Perkins (NS),
Rick Verkler (CN) will offer variety of perspectives (legal, public relations, government relations, information technology, and economic development) as part of a panel discussion on the benefits of ensuring environmental compliance on railroad projects.
Stormwater Management
Ben Pylant (Halff Associates) and
Leland Willis (UP) will speak on stormwater management issues.
Connecting to the Site through Supply Chain Logistics
John Hoover (NS) will present on the work of the Modalgistics Group at NS and how they manage supply chain logistics.
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Renew Your ARDA Membership or Join Now
If you have not yet renewed your ARDA membership for 2016-17, 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.
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ARDA Sponsorship Opportunities
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.
To sponsor ARDA for 2016-17 please contact Fred Oelsner at staff@amraildev.com or 202-715-1259
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Annual ARDA Sponsorships |
Amount
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Bronze Level
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$1,000 - $2,999
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Silver Level
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$3,000 - $4,999
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Gold Level
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$5,000 - $7,499
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Platinum Level
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$7,500+
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2016-17 ARDA Board of Directors
President: Alan Sisk, Norfolk Southern Corporation First Vice President: Gary Rozmus, GEI Consultants Second Vice President: Mark Holder, Bartlett & West, Inc. Treasurer: Doug Morrison, Bartlett & West, Inc. Secretary: Mike Ray, BNSF Railway Company Past President: Stephanie Johnson, Florida East Coast Railway
For more information, visit the ARDA website
or contact:
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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
.
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New Members since March
Steve Aufdenkampe
Engineer, Environmental Remediation
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Amy Desai
Principal, CEO
Farallon Consulting, LLC
Tina Huff
Member and Principal Regulatory Specialist
Farallon Consulting, LLC
Alan Johnson
Assistant Chief Engineer - D&C
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Shane Krueger
Vice President
JLL
Ryan Kynard
Senior Manager Economic Development
JLL
Christopher Oakes
Manager, Environmental Remediation
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Scott Pittenger
Engineer, Environmental Remediation
AECOM
Matt Webb
Vice President
JLL
Jill Wilbanks
Vice President
JLL
Adrian Winder
Attorney
Foster Pepper PLLC
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2017 ARDA Sponsors
Thank you to all of our ARDA sponsors for your support!
Platinum
Bartlett & West
CSX
Norfolk Southern
Gold
AECOM
BNSF
CN
GEI Consultants
HDR
Kansas City Southern
Silver
Clear Channel Outdoor
Florida East Coast Railway
GHD
JLL
LJA Engineering, Inc.
TerraPact
TRC Solutions
Bronze
Daley Mohan Groble
Halff Associates
Jesco, Inc.
NRCMA
RMI Midwest
W.G. Yates & Sons Contsruction
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