Clinton Township Newsletter

3 J u n e 2 0 1 7 Carol Beder's C e le brating 40 Y ear s! Call Susan Hall– Your Kind of Agent! Clinton Township – Your Kind of Town! 908.735.8080 Office 908.310.7226 Cell susanjhall1030@gmail.com Susan Hall CRS, GRI, SRES ® , ASP ™ Broker/Sales Associate 186 Center Street Suite 150 Clinton, NJ 08809 "Dear Clinton Township Newsletter – I was taken aback by the Newsletter's May edition's obvious political bias v ia th e adv ertisements; al most three full pages worth – really? And since when has the Newsletter become a political platform anyway? I may have second thoughts about reading any future Newsletters if this is the direction it will be heading. For shame! – Signed, Anonymous" Dear Anonymous – Your letter so intrigued me that I started my column with it – please read my column on the front cover! – Thanks, Julie Flynn "Good Afternoon, I am writing the Clinton Township Newsletter to raise awareness and possibly solve a "sleep deprivation problem" that I'm sure other Clinton and Annandale residents have experienced over the years. I'm referring to the freight train. Anyone living in close proximity to Lower Landsdown Road, Allerton Road, Wellington Road, Hampton Road and Lilac Drive can identify with how disruptive the train horn is during the wee hours of the morning. The weather was finally perfect for sleeping with the windows open and airing out the house after a long, hard winter and breathing the fresh air while sleeping. It's a wonderful feeling. It was a Sunday morning, 4 a.m. and I was awoken by the long, very, very loud train whistle. I could not fall back to sleep, as the train continued to wail on its horn every 20 minutes for the next two hours. Now, I do understand the Federal Rules and Regulations regarding freight trains….two long whistles, one short, one long. However, there are gate crossings. It is a rural residential area. There might be one car driving around at 4 a.m. in our sleepy towns of Clinton and Annandale that just might be crossing the railroad tracks. I would like to point out that I noticed when visiting my Mother who lives in Clark, NJ there is also a freight train. Clark is a crowded, residential/commercial town with a freight train that is very close to condo/ townhomes, single family homes, and commercial businesses. It is much busier (very "city" like) than Clinton or Annandale. As I was driving across the tracks I noticed a sign that read "No Train Horn". And, I asked myself, if they can ban a train horn in such a crowded area, then why can't we ban the train horn in Clinton/Annandale. I do not know who I would speak to about implementing such a request, or how to even begin. That is why I am writing to you today. Maybe if we start a petition, or just make a phone call and speak to someone who has the authority to listen to us, maybe I and my family would not have the bags under our eyes that we do, and we would be a little healthier. The effects of sleep deprivation have been compared to drunk driving. When one works full time and commutes to work an hour each way that can be devastating and dangerous. I would like to see a ban on the train horn, if anything, at least during the hours of 12 p.m. to 8 a.m. – especially on weekends. I know, you might think I'm crazy, but when you are fast asleep and it's 4 a.m. and are startled awake to the train horn that sounds like it is literally going to drive through your house…and it goes on during the wee hours of the morning…and you lie awake wondering how you are going to make it through the day because you can't sleep because the train is passing by every 20 minutes for hours…well, it's not a good start to anyone's day. Thanks for listening. Hopefully, together, with a little luck, we can make it happen?? Maybe? Best regards, Deb Ross Hi Deb, Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to your question, but I do know that our Mayor reads our publication every month, as do the people who work in the Municipal office, so I'm hoping that they can help you with this inquiry. Hope it helps! – Thanks, Julie Flynn

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