Topic / Idea: I would like to address the city council to support the installation of fencing along the railway tracks just south of the Greenway Park space. Talking Point #1: Currently, the tracks that run alongside the entire length of the south side of Greenway Park are also close to frequently used playground structures. It is a hazard to have trains in such close proximity to a playground, with no separation between them. * Example #1: After school, at least two days a week, I take my children to Greenway Park playground. Most days at least once, a train runs past and I and other parents are momentarily panicked to make sure our kids aren’t anywhere near the tracks. [Trains are big, loud and dangerous — it is not an ideal situation to run tracks alongside a park, and parents would be much more at ease if there was a barricade to keep their children from attempting to get to close] * Example #2: I have looked up the train schedule, and the peak times of traffic along the tracks coincides with popular playground times in the afternoon and early evening. [Provision of hard evidence that shows this situation is a frequent occurrence] Talking Point #2: There have been occasional altercations between law-abiding adults and transient people who are near the tracks in a state of substance abuse, or persons involved in public mischief of some kind. This also poses a safety issues for the many families who use the park for its intended purposes. * Example #1: Just last month I witnessed a temporary tent set-up in the bushes behind the playground, close to the tracks. The person or persons who temporarily lived there made for an uncomfortable situation; parents weren’t comfortable letting their children play at the playground, and a fence could provide a clear separation of trackside behaviors vs. park use by families. [This example establishes a threat towards children in the form of transient people who might pass through the gap between the playground and the tracks — this draws on the emotions of the audience to ask them to consider children’s safety] * Example #2: 6 months ago a teenager was seriously injured while trying to flatten coins on the track. This person was engaged in behavior that could have affected more than himself, had his actions caused a further gross incident like a train derailment or malfunction. [This example illustrates the concern over children’s exposure to the public mischief associated with train tracks, but also a greater desire to deter behavior that could be a public safety issue]