American Railway Development Association

THE ARDA NEWSLETTER

May 2017

Real Estate Section Feature
Recent developments regarding utility crossings of
railroad right of way

Madeline E. Roebke-Curns

Senior General Attorney, Union Pacific Railroad

Anyone working in the area of railroad real estate is familiar with the conflicts that arise when utility companies seek access to railroad rights of way. It would be best for railroad business if railroads could completely avoid sharing their corridors with utilities. Yet, given the reality that railroads stretch north to south, east to west and every direction in between with miles of contiguous corridor, it is necessary for railroads to permit crossings for lines to bring power, gas, high speed internet and other utility necessities to the public. Recognizing this fact, the typical clash between the industries is not about whether utilities may locate in the railroad corridor but rather terms and conditions upon which the right to intersect will be granted.

The primary complaint by utility companies is that obtaining railroad agreements is time consuming and expensive. Utility companies (and their contractors) question the cost of real estate fees, insurance and flagging. Contractors, in particular, have tight time schedules to meet and are frustrated when their time schedules are affected. On the other hand, railroads are highly sensitive to ensuring compliance with their procedures to protect railroad safety and operations.

Continue Reading Here!

2017 Annual Meeting Registration Open - Room Block Closes May 25!

The 2017 Annual Meeting will take place from Sunday, June 18 through the morning of Wednesday, June 21 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. We will start off on the morning of June 18 with our Early Bird Golf Tournament at the Mirimichi Golf Course, with a reception at the Peabody Hotel finishing the day.

On Monday, June 19 we will begin our educational program and association business, and then finish the day with a riverboat cruise and reception aboard the Memphis Queen III. Guests of Annual Meeting attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a tour of Elvis' Graceland mansion on Monday. On Tuesday, June 20, we will wrap up our educational program and association business, and welcome attendees and guests to the President's Dinner at the Peabody Hotel. On Wednesday, June 21 a farewell breakfast will be hosted in the morning. A draft program is available here.

Registration for attendees and their guests at the Annual Meeting and Golf Tournament is now open on the ARDA website at this link. For guests interested in joining the Graceland tour, please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] to register for that event separately.

Annual Member attendees are encouraged to book a room in the ARDA block the Peabody Hotel at a discounted rate of $185 per night. Reservations may be made via this link, or by calling 1-800-PEABODY and requesting a room in the "American Railway Development Association Block." Our block will close on Thursday, May 25, so book your room today!

More information on the 2017 Annual Meeting can be found on our website at www.amraildev.com/2017annualmeeting.

Contribute to the 2017 Silent Auction!

ARDA will once again be hosting a Silent Auction at the 2017 Annual Meeting. This year the Silent Auction will benefit the upcoming ARDA Sponsorship program, whose details will be announced at the Annual Meeting in Memphis. Donations in the past have included a number of different items, including railroad commemorative pieces, locomotive models, apparel, electronics and more.

Items shipped more than a week before the Annual Meeting (to arrive before June 9, 2017) may be shipped to:

American Railway Development Association
Attn: Fred Oelsner
410 First St SE
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20003

Any later donations should be shipped directly to the Peabody Hotel, to arrive between June 14-16, 2017. These donations should be shipped to:

The Peabody Hotel Memphis
Attn: Fred Oelsner, American Railway Development Association
149 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38103

If you have any questions regarding the Silent Auction please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] for more information.

2017 Annual Meeting Program Update

The ARDA is pleased to welcome Mayor Jim Strickland of the City of Memphis and Mark Herbison from the Greater Memphis Chamber to speak about the impacts of the rail industry on their city and region.

Trump and Trains - Seeking Connections
Norfolk Southern's Bruno Maestri, will speak on the state of the railroad industry in Washington, and the impact of the new Presidential Administration.

Positive Train Control
Jason Reiner (NS), Jo Strang (ASLRRA), and Lisa Wilson (NS) will speak on the impacts of Postive Train Control on railroad real estate and economic development.

Autonomous Vehicles and Economic Development

Bernard Swiecki (Center for Automotive Research) will present on the impact of autonomous vehicles on the rail industry.

Railroad Condemnation - New Jersey Case Study

John Fiorilla (Capehart Scatchard) and Malcolm Roop (NS) will do a presentation regarding the first railroad condemnation in New Jersey in 50 years.

Tennessee Valley Authority's InvestPrep
Bill L. Adams (TVA Economic Development) will present on TVA's InvestPrep program which is aimed at helping Valley communities market readied building and industrial sites.

Environmental Applications of UAS/UAV Technologies

Dillon Magers and Stephanie Ortiz (BNSF) will speak about BNSF's work utilizing unmanned systems on projects related to environmental compliance.

Industrial Development and Real Estate Connecting to Locate a Major Project

Mike Grim and Kelly Harris (NS) will discuss their combined efforts to locate and develop a major project in Mississippi.

Economic Benefits of Environmental Compliance

Jim Kvederas (CN), Nathan Perkins (NS), Rick Verkler (CN) will offer variety of perspectives (legal, public relations, government relations, information technology, and economic development) as part of a panel discussion on the benefits of ensuring environmental compliance on railroad projects.

Stormwater Management

Ben Pylant (Halff Associates) and Leland Willis (UP) will speak on stormwater management issues.

Connecting to the Site through Supply Chain Logistics

John Hoover (NS) will present on the work of the Modalgistics Group at NS and how they manage supply chain logistics.

Renew Your ARDA Membership or Join Now

If you have not yet renewed your ARDA membership for 2016-17, please visit our website at www.amraildev.com and log-in at the top right corner of the page.

Your renewed membership allows ARDA to continue fostering the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads through the advancement of ideas and education of its members. Members also discounted registration rates at ARDA events, including a $200 discount on the Annual Meeting!

If you are not an ARDA member and would like to join, please visit our registration page.

ARDA Sponsorship Opportunities

ARDA offers companies the opportunity to sponsor the association on an annual basis, or by specific events at our Annual Meeting and Executive Forum. Multiple levels of Annual Sponsorship are available for your consideration. Corporate commitments greater than $1,000 also include complimentary individual memberships in ARDA.

To sponsor ARDA for 2016-17 please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] or 202-715-1259 .

Annual ARDA Sponsorships	Amount
Bronze Level	$1,000 - $2,999
Silver Level	$3,000 - $4,999
Gold Level	$5,000 - $7,499
Platinum Level	$7,500+

2016-17 ARDA Board of Directors

President: Alan Sisk, Norfolk Southern Corporation
First Vice President: Gary Rozmus, GEI Consultants
Second Vice President: Mark Holder, Bartlett & West, Inc.
Treasurer: Doug Morrison, Bartlett & West, Inc.
Secretary: Mike Ray, BNSF Railway Company
Past President: Stephanie Johnson, Florida East Coast Railway

For more information, visit the ARDA website or contact:

ARDA staff at [email protected]

The American Railway Development Association (ARDA) is a not-for-profit educational trade association founded in 1906 to promote Economic Development, Real Estate Development, Technology, and Environmental Activities of the North American Railroads.

The objectives of the Association are to foster the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads; and through the advancement of ideas and education of its members, further promote the effectiveness of railway development and related work .