Davenport Iowa USA - Over the last few weeks, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and the City of Davenport have begun to deal with the railroad's sudden and unilateral decision to raise its tracks along the riverfront.
 
The watchword, so far, has been cooperation.
 
It could be this will be a good thing.
 
But we think a few things need to be made more clear.
 
First, it should be recognized that the railroad damaged our property.
 
It protected its own, but in doing so, it diminished the public's ability to enjoy and develop, even to access, a riverfront that is central to the identity of this city.
 
We need to be made whole.
 
The railroad, in meetings with the city, has said it will cooperate on a solution.
 
Tony Marquis, vice president for operations for the railroad's eastern region, told city officials the railroad has a lot to offer and that it will listen.
 
Railroads have historically not been all that cooperative with the city, so this was good to hear.
 
More impressive has been the leadership demonstrated by members of the Riverfront Improvement Commission who stepped in and slowed down a fast-moving process of restoring crossings in order to engage in a broader approach.
 
This approach means more than just restoring crossings, it means restoring our riverfront and its connection to downtown.
 
Development efforts that have been in the works for years have now been made significantly more complicated by the railroad's actions.
 
We like cooperation, but nobody should be fooled by the challenges here.
 
To regain the use and potential of our riverfront, even if it's in a different form than what we've previously known, will require a significant investment of money and time.
 
In some cases, our connection to the riverfront will be significantly altered.
 
We don't see how people will ever again be able to walk from Dillon Fountain to the river's edge.
 
We sat in on a planning meeting last week where some of the options, and their implications, were discussed.
 
From Modern Woodmen Park, to Dillon Fountain, to River Heritage Park, there is a lot to do.
 
And a lot of choices to be made.
 
In some places, the options are not very good.
 
It needs to be made clear to CP that these are potentially expensive fixes, and the railroad needs to be a full partner in devising solutions and carrying them out.
 
We believe our elected leaders need to make this clear, publicly, and repeatedly.
 
We realize that our flood protection efforts also must do more than just shield the downtown.
 
What happens in one place has an impact on areas that are down river.
 
To that end, we hope Mayor Frank Klipsch works quickly to appoint the task force he's promised before downtown planning efforts get too far along.
 
The task force should include broad swaths of the community, along with federal agencies and non-governmental organizations that can offer expertise.
 
We've said it before, the Flood of 2019 has convinced us we need to do more than we have in the past to protect our riverfront, public infrastructure, residents, and businesses.
 
We take the railroad at its word that it intends to be a partner.
 
Marquis was right in saying the impact to the riverfront this year went beyond just the railroad's actions.
 
The river has left a lot of damage, too.
 
But the floodwaters will recede, we see no sign that the railroad tracks will be lowered.
 
Indeed, the railroad has said this is permanent.
 
We want this to be a happy partnership.
 
But we also believe, if the outcome isn't sufficient, our elected leaders must be ready to stand up for the people they represent, for the riverfront we cherish.
 
We are told the railroad was within its rights to raise the tracks, that there is no chance for the city to reverse it.
 
City officials tell us the law is on the railroad's side.
 
We're not convinced this question has been fully explored.
 
Our riverfront, its use and potential, has immense value to us.
 
We in this community have long recognized it, it has guided millions of dollars in investment.
 
It has defined how we chose to deal with periodic flooding.
 
But now it has clearly been damaged.
 
We must be made whole.
 
We want our riverfront back.
 
Author unknown.