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SEP 5 1984 Boor 58 L -,-F ISO <br />train whistles. Mr. Collison also felt this should be a <br />countywide ordinance and urged that the Board adopt it. <br />John Graham, 59 Woodland Drive, agreed with Messrs. <br />Collison and Majewski. He stated that he felt it is a moral <br />issue as well as a safety issue. There are thousands who <br />suffer from these train whistles and have to go to work <br />after losing hours of sleep. <br />Nancy Offutt informed the Board that she had lived for <br />some time in Winter Beach near Cemetery Road, and their home <br />was close to the railroad. She felt that train whistles are <br />for safety purposes and not meant to be melodious; although <br />she personally found them nostalgic. Mrs. Offutt noted that <br />while she lived in this location, she knew of at least four <br />occasions when the crossing bars were out of operation. She <br />further pointed out the hours during which it is proposed <br />that the whistles be banned are those that provide the least <br />visibility. Mrs. Offutt did not feel that train accidents <br />are the way to get drunk drivers off the road, and she also <br />did not feel that airplane noises can be compared to train <br />whistles. <br />Chairman Scurlock asked if there is any way the <br />engineer knows if the crossing bars fail to operate. <br />Mr. Graham said that he had an article wherein the <br />train engineer stated he could always see the crossing and <br />determine whether it was operative, unless, of course, it <br />was on a curve. In rebuttal, he hoped the Board would not <br />fail to pass an ordinance simply because of "nostalgia." <br />Mr. Graham felt strongly that anyone who comes to a crossing <br />and sees the lights, the gates, hears the bells, etc., and <br />crosses is just foolhardy and can never be protected. <br />Dan Richards, resident of Vero Shores, stated that he <br />was representing the people of Vero Shores. He informed the <br />Board that he presented a petition in support of banning the <br />whistles at a preliminary hearing and now has a further <br />74 <br />