Hawthorn Woods stays on board with group appealing CN's EJ&E purchase

The Hawthorn Woods village board will pay The Regional Answer to Canadian National (TRAC) $5,000 to support the appeal of the merger of the CN and EJ&E railroads.

TRAC, a coalition of about 17 communities, is appealing the U.S. Surface Transportation Board's decision to allow the merger, said Hawthorn Woods Mayor Keith Hunt on Monday.

Hunt said the appeal is a last-ditch effort to stop the transaction and that it is based on the failure of the STB to address environmental and community aspects of the purchase.

TRAC actually requested $7,500 from each member community, but Hunt said the Lake Zurich fire officials offered to contribute $5,000 because they have an interest in the appeal. That reduced the amount Hawthorn Woods and Lake Zurich would have to contribute to $5,000 each.

"If we walk away from TRAC on this funding, I believe in essence we walk away from our residents," Hunt said.

The STB on Dec. 24 approved CN's purchase of the EJ&E, which runs in a semicircle between Waukegan and Gary, Ind., saying it was in the public interest.

CN wants to move freight trains from its lines in Chicago and nearby suburbs onto the "J," a relatively quiet railroad. The move would reduce a bottleneck in the city, officials contend.

Not surprisingly, municipalities such as Barrington located by the EJ&E are opposed to the plan, raising fears about traffic, hazardous spills, pollution and noise.

Hawthorn Woods officials did not initially approve the funding as no one seconded the motion to pay TRAC. Discussion was reopened when Phil LaGro, of Hawthorn Woods, brought it up as new business.

At that point Hunt stressed the significance of the deal to the community and said that at the end of the day the board must act in the interest of Hawthorn Woods.

Hunt added that right now CN is attempting to minimize the amount of communities it is at risk with by cutting deals with them. He said Hawthorn Woods may cut a deal with CN at some point if it is in the best interest of the community. He stressed that if the board did not approve the funding for TRAC, Hawthorn Woods would be dropped from the appeal and would lose any leverage they might have with CN.

"If we get even one more concession out of them ... we will receive (the $5,000) back many times over," Hunt said.

Trustee Neil Morgan expressed concern about spending the money when the board is on a tight budget. LaGro, plan commissioner on the zoning board of appeals and a liaison to the board on the merger, pledged $1,000 of his personal money to the cause.

He may not have to write that check, as the board approved the $5,000 motion to fund TRAC.

"I don't think a thousand dollars, to me, is too much to gamble on a positive outcome that could benefit the village and the region," LaGro said.

The board also approved a referendum question for the April 7 election to create a tax levy for the police pension fund. Hawthorn Woods contributes about $170,000 to the fund. The expense for each homeowner would be about $11.67 per $100,000 of fair market value, officials said.