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i <br /> under the FEC tracks. This archeological site has been found eligible as a <br /> national historic site. <br /> • Safety- Our community has been waiting for the°90% Plan"for well over a year. <br /> Until our officials have that plan, we do not have the information we need to plan <br /> adequately for safety measures at the road crossings throughout the county. <br /> The project will bisect the City of Vero Beach, the City of Sebastian, the Gifford, <br /> Winter Beach, Wabasso, and Roseland Communities, and our medical and <br /> business services. <br /> • Business- It is clear there will be significant negative impacts to the crossings <br /> themselves; delays in traffic due to crossing closures; and significant impacts to <br /> all our businesses and our public safety and emergency responders and their <br /> equipment. Employees, goods being transported, school buses, Senior <br /> Resource GoLine public bus schedules, and visitors traveling east and west in <br /> our community will all be heavily impacted. We believe the noise and vibration <br /> will result in increased difficulty to maintain and operate businesses efficiently <br /> and effectively at or within 500 feet of all crossings/intersections of the railway. <br /> The increased noise and vibration will be coupled with additional noises and <br /> vibrations from sounds emitted from the wayside horns. <br /> • Financial-Whatever is determined for the safety installations at road crossing <br /> will ultimately have negative financial impacts on our community. While AAF <br /> reports they will cover the costs of some safety upgrades, it is our taxpayer <br /> dollars that will bear the long-term brunt of paying for crossing upgrades needed <br /> by this private business. <br /> • Permits for optic cable- it is our understanding that the trenching for optic cable <br /> will be 1 foot wide and 5 feet-deep. The St. John River Water Management <br /> District (SJRWMD) has issued General Permit#144190-1. There are no <br /> assurances that the historical and cultural resources within the path of this cable i <br /> installation will be protected or even identified before trenching begins. This <br /> trenching will be immediately adjacent to the Old Vero Ice Age Site and other <br /> culturally significant historic sites, among them the numerous sites of the old <br /> railway stations. <br /> • Environmental-The impacts to our treasured environmental community will be <br /> great. Bridge replacements will include several canal bridges and the St. <br /> Sebastian River Bridge. The St. Sebastian River is a major tributary of the Indian <br /> River Lagoon which has for the last several years has been of the highest <br /> environmental concern to all the N-S corridor counties from Brevard through <br /> Martin County. Replacement of existing bridges will cause disruption and <br /> negative ecological impact to the Sebastian waterway, its unique habitat for fish <br /> species, manatee, and other wildlife that utilize both this waterway and the Indian <br /> River Lagoon. The SJRWMD Environmental Resource Permit#135214-2 is an <br /> active permit application that includes bridge replacements over the small <br /> waterways. Significant archaeological sites are found at both the Main Relief <br /> Canal (Vero Man) and the North Relief Canal (Gifford Bones). These resources <br /> must be accounted for in the assessment of this permit. <br /> • Eco-Tourism- Our County's economy is deeply rooted in a thriving eco- <br /> heritage tourism industry. The Indian River Lagoon is a tourism generator <br /> 6 <br />