Chowchilla Landowners Brace for High Speed Rail

A meeting was held in Chowchilla for landowners who will loose property to High Speed Rail.

Dozens of property owners packed The Little Theater at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds Wednesday.

"It takes out my house, it takes out my fathers house. It pretty much devastates us," Steve Massaro, an almond farmer said.

A panel of attorneys and appraisers answered questions about the land acquisition process. Many landowners are concerned about noise, getting a fair price for their land and the appraisal process. A process that can be complicated, time consuming and emotional.

"Most of this alignment is not in a straight line. It’s at an angle. It cuts through the middle of their property not the edge. so you have all these impacts: cut pipeline, missing wells, no turn roads," Aaron Fukuda with Citizens for California High Speed Rail Accountability said.

He recommends landowners take their time and fully understand all of the components of the states offer before signing away their land.