Chamber Tackles Amtrak's Proposed Old Saybrook/Kenyon Bypass

 
David Pugliese, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, Inc. does HEREBY certify that the following is a true and correct copy of a resolution duly adopted at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, Inc. Said meeting was held and convened on February 28th, 2017 at which meeting a duly constituted quorum of the Board of Directors was present and acting throughout, and that such resolution has not been modified, rescinded or revoked and is at present in full force and effect.
 
The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut recognizes the important role that AMTRAK serves as a major public passenger carrier throughout the eastern seaboard and fully supports upgrades to the existing railroad bed.
 
The board, however, expresses major concern with the process applied to developing the Old Saybrook / Kenyon Bypass.
 
Furthermore, the board believes that the plan as presented will have a detrimental impact on culturally and historically significant communities that the region relies on for employment sustainability and economic growth and that to continue to precede with this ill-conceived plan without support from the business community and the public at large, will seriously damage NEC’s once in a lifetime opportunity to draft a blueprint for high-speed rail travel in the state of Connecticut.   
 
Finally, the board respectfully requests that any and all references to the Old Saybrook / Kenyon Bypass should be removed from the plan to avoid further erosion to real estate values in the vicinity of the proposed track.
 
RESOLVED: That the Chair of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, Inc., is empowered to sign this resolution, forward it to:
 
NEC FUTURE
U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration
One Bowling Green, Suite 429
New York, NY 10004
IN WITNESS THEREOF, the undersigned has affixed his signature this 28th day of February, 2017.
 
David Pugliese
Chair of the Board of Directors