Photo: Greg Reyna/ Freelancer/Media City G — A big crowd packed the high speed rail meeting at the Buena Vista Library in Burbank August 6, 2014
A big turnout for the high speed rail meeting at the Buena Vista Library last Wednesday. Several times staffers had to bring out extra chairs and still there were people standing along the sides and back wall of the library meeting room, according to freelance photographer, Greg Reyna, who was there.
It’s called a “scoping meeting.” The California High Speed Rail Authority is conducting scoping meeting throughout the month of August. Rachel Kesting, public information officer for the authority, explained it this way: ” Scoping is a process under environmental review laws that allow other public agencies and the public to provide comment about what an environmental review document, like an Environmental Impact Report or Environmental Impact Study (EIR/EIS), should evaluate about a proposed project. The process involves the opportunity for both written comment and oral comment at public meetings. Comments received will become part of the environmental record for the Palmdale to Burbank Project Section. ”
Photo: Greg Reyna /Freelancer/ Media City G — Michelle Boehm, Southern CA Regional Director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority gave a presentation at the meeting in the Buena Vista Library in Burbank August 6, 2014
A presentation was given by Michelle Boehm, Southern California director of the California High Speed Rail Authority. The agency’s website says it is “responsible for the planning, designing, building, and operation of the first high-speed rail system in the nation.” The train reportedly will travel up to 220 miles per hour. By 2029, they expect the system to be in place from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin. The trip reportedly will take less than three hours. Eventually, links to Sacramento and San Diego will be added, creating a rail system 800 miles long with up to 24 stations.
Photo: Greg Reyna /Freelancer/Media City G — A packed house at the high speed rail meeting Buena Vista Library Burbank August 6, 2014
The project broke ground in the Central Valley the middle of last month. Kesting says the Palmdale to Burbank section “… will break ground when all required environmental studies are complete.” She says the authority is seeking input from the public.”
All written comments should be sent, before the end of the month, to the following email addresses: palmdale_burbank@hsr.ca.gov or burbank_los.angeles@hsr.ca.gov . Also, you can snail mail comments to California High Speed Rail Authority, California Regional Office, 700 N. Alameda St., Room 3-532, Los Angeles, California 90012 .
