She quoted from 1986 Noble Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel's view on indifference as applied to our situation in Springfield.

Residents lament city's closing of rail crossing: Neighbors seek council's attention by staging funeral for "Public Input."

by Amos Bridges, News-Leader 

Call it a publicity stunt, call it public input. Residents of two north-side neighborhoods staged a mock funeral Tuesday at the defunct Broadway Avenue railroad crossing to remind city officials of their displeasure -- and their presence.

At the request of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Springfield's City Council voted 6-2 on Dec. 12 to close the crossing, which offered north-south access between Chase and Commercial streets.

The change was widely opposed by residents of the Grant Beach and Woodland Heights neighborhoods, who said closure could split their neighborhoods and create additional safety hazards when traffic was re- routed to the aging Grant Avenue underpass nearby.

About 20 of them, many wearing black arm bands, gathered south of the crossing Tuesday evening near a miniature coffin and headstone that read, "RIP Public Input."

"Neighbors question the purpose of spending time and energy providing input when they know it will be ignored," Robert Brantley said as he read from a eulogy composed for the occasion.

All was not doom and gloom, however -- "Public Input" had been reborn by the funeral's end.

....

Those gathered Wednesday also vowed to make themselves heard at the ballot box.

"Everybody is aware of Broadway now," Brantley said, explaining neighbors renewed drive to political activity. "So I think it's going to become a rallying cry."

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Neighbors "Mourn" Lost Fight Over Rail Crossing 

Neighbors of the Grant Beach and Woodland Heights Neighborhoods held a ceremony Wednesday evening - a mock funeral - to mark a lost battle over keeping a railroad crossing open. 

Neighbors are saying the "funeral" is a way to put their failed effort to keep the crossing near Broadway and Commercial open to vehicle traffic, and focus on the future.

Trains are rolling through on the tracks with dead ends on either side of the street. People now see the roadblocks as symbolic for the obstacles they faced in this battle, specifically their concerns about safety.

The City of Springfield was responsible for removing the pavement leading to the tracks on Broadway and putting up guardrails.

Burlington Northern-Sante Fe Railroad is tasked with putting up fencing at the crossing, but those fences were yet not in place by late Wednesday.

Citizens and city leaders also are still evaluating what this means for traffic east and west of this closing. 

Although the City Council voted to close the intersection, members promised to evaluate the decision and monitor safety in the area. 

While neighbors say they were sold out for development plans in the West Meadows area, the move is fueling local activism.

"It`s a done deal," admits Julie Sigloch, a member of the Grant Beach Neighborhood Association. "The road is torn up, the fences are going up. Now we want to make sure our voices are heard in the future and other neighborhood`s voices are heard as well."

Council member Mary Collette says the Council did listen to neighbors before taking action to close the crossing. "It`s not that they weren`t heard, it`s that they were outvoted," Collette said. "It`s sad they had this loss for the good of the larger community."

BNSF paid the city $65,000 for the closing. Neighbors in the area are working on a beautification plan or other uses for that money. 

But residents also say the dead end drives them to seek other changes. They`re committed to holding the city to promises about protecting safety in the area."There was anger but now it`s trying to push people to be involved, get them to register to vote," Sigloch said. 

There was concern about what the closing at Broadway and Commercial would mean for traffic at the Grant Street overpass just north of Commercial. 

Several large trucks have gotten stuck under the low overhang in recent months. And neighbors say foot and auto traffic at Grant will become more dangerous with Broadway`s closing. Collette says the crossing could be positive for development at the overpass. 

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I think we should Commend Councilman Denny Whayne, who represents Zone 1 on Springfield City Council, for his courage to vote for and with the residents of Northwest Springfield and his courage in coming to this event. 

Whayne was the only Springfield City Council member to show up for the Official Closing Ceremony of the Historic Broadway Crossing in Springfield.