Letter to the editor
To the editor:
I’m Natalia Isachenko, a resident of Kennedy Boulevard, Manville, for about 12 years. For all these years, the train passing by near my backyard was making loud noise, but the “green fence” covered some of dust from train, visibility and noise.
Recently, without any notice, railroad company cut the most of trees on my backyards and my neighbors’ backyards, and ruined my enjoyment of land.
Considering the act of law a “nuisance,” I got very upset about. It affected my enjoyable rights of ownership in residential area. Also, it made some environmental issues (I don’t hear any more the beautiful birds signing, and these trees had many nests). The precious trees were cut down — nothing we can do about it. New trees need many years to grow back again. It’s sad, and it’s a crime against the nature.
Who is responsible for this?
I went to the borough offices and Gary P. Garwacke, engineer, told me he doesn’t know because there are so many owners of this railroad track company. So, that means, this part of land doesn’t belong to Manville Borough.
OK, if railroad owns this land and they can do wherever they want, why can Manville Borough tell me so many things I have to follow, like rules about cutting the grass. Maybe, I don’t want to. I like my grass tall. They can tell me what to do, so, why can’t they make restrictions to railroad company?
I’m sure they know who is the owner of this railroad through Manville. They have to deal with them because we, residents, suffer from having the railroad here. Just a reminder — Manville is in the Guinness records book because so many people were killed on this railroad, mostly children!
The zoning board stops taxpaying citizens from doing things to improve their properties, yet they can’t stand up to a company that degrades the quality of everybody’s lives. Children have died crossing the tracks in this town and the town sides with the train companies. Instead of forcing the train companies to put walk-overs at common crossing sites, the town tries to make people walk blocks out of the way.
But, for us, residents of this unfortunate area, who is concerned about our safe level of living?
The zoning department didn’t stop the railroad company. They say it’s their land, and they can do wherever they want. So, they don’t care to protect us. Why do we need them and pay taxes to keep them here if they don’t care?
At least, they could try to negotiate the recent situation because extra noise coming from construction right now and later from second lane of railroad consider as ‘nuisance” and it could be a lawsuit. I, as a resident of Kennedy Boulevard, demand the solid tall fence behind my backyard all the way along the railroad track.
Also, a second line of railroad is going to affect the price of houses of my neighborhood, so, it considers as a fault of railroad company, I demand compensation from railroad company, or from the town, because they didn’t make any attempts to stop it. It could be as a tax reduction.
They said a year ago only one resident sent a complaint regarding concern the over the additional noise as well as pollution from the diesel fumes and creosote and the devaluation of all of our properties. People don’t believe anymore that they could be heard.
And, I’m not sure that Kennedy Boulevard is a residential area anymore.
Anyone who would like to cooperate, my contact info is [email protected] or 908-526-4816.
For all concerned residents, we can write a letter to congressmen Frank Lautenberg, 1 Gateway Center, 23rd Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, or Robert Menendez, 1 Gateway Center, Suite 1100, Newark.
Natalia Isachenko
Manville

