Residents don't want new light rail line near their homes

(7/26/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Not in our neighborhood. That's what some people in southeast Houston are saying about a new light rail line that will run right in front of their homes.

The new line will run along MLK Boulevard between Griggs and Old Spanish Trail.

For more than 30 years, Rutha Hymon has lived in MacGregor Place.

"This is a quiet neighborhood, it's close to downtown, you know it's nice," she said.

She lives just a half block from Martin Luther King Boulevard. It's a long a stretch that METRO has selected for construction of a 1.2 mile light rail line between Old Spanish Trail and Griggs Road.

Hymon fears the line could leak stray electricity into the neighborhood and could endanger children who cross MLK to Peck Elementary.

"I don't welcome more problems," she said.

Others agree and say it is risky for METRO to put in a line near where children gather. There is fear that children don't always look both ways before crossing the street.

"They don't do it," said Baba Shango of the Sehah Youth Center. "Some will do it, some won't do it and that is too much of a chance."

Shango is one of a half dozen people who pled with METRO's board to move the route behind their neighborhoods. They also accused the board of not notifying the neighborhood residents concerning public meetings on the issue.

METRO's CEO says 14,000 door hanger meeting notifications were sent out before 140 meetings on the issue which took place over a six year period. He says METRO has been sensitive to the homeowner's concerns and laments that there is no way to please everyone.

"So it is our responsibility to make sure we disrupt the community as little as possible," said METRO's David Wolff. "We're sensitive to safety concerns and we make sure businesses continue to prosper and we are committed to that."

Construction on the southeast rail line is set to begin later this year and is set for completion by 2010.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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