One of the most talked about issues in Salem is the possibility that a Norfolk Southern Corp. cargo transfer facility will be built off of Colorado Street.

The railroad hasn't announced a location for the planned intermodal rail yard, and a Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation spokeswoman said 10 sites -- including Salem -- still are being considered. But as that decision looms, so does Salem's May city council election.

The three independents -- incumbent Jane Johnson and newcomers Billy Jones and Lisa Garst -- vying for a trio of councils seats say Salem residents have asked them about the rail yard.

A majority of those asking questions, at least to date, say they oppose locating the rail yard in Salem because of the amount of increased truck traffic and other potentially negative impacts the facility could have on the city.

Some residents, and some city officials, support the rail yard for its potential economic impact.

So far, none of the three announced candidates has taken firm positions on the issue. Of the three, Garst has given the intermodal issue the most attention.

Garst, who runs a Salem manufacturing-related business with her husband, said she posted information about the intermodal rail yard on her campaign Web site, lisagarst.com, in response to all the questions she fielded.

She posted previously published information about the rail yard -- its potential economic and environmental effects and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's criteria for the chosen site.

She took no definitive stance on the rail yard on the Web site and instead peppered the posting with rhetorical questions: "Why is Salem still on the list of potential sites?" and will Salem "bear the brunt of the intermodal's operations" but have to share its benefits?

Her last question: "What are we getting versus what are we sacrificing?"

In less than a week, Garst's Web site received almost 1,000 hits.

A number of people responded to Garst, asking if there was anything they could do to keep the rail yard out of Salem.

One man, concerned about industries leaving Salem, told Garst he supports the rail yard for its potential economic benefits, she said. The rail yard is billed as a hub for a new interstate shipping system that could bring thousands of jobs to the region as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy.

"I never intended to become a point person for the issue," Garst said.

Still, Garst said, people stopped her in church and when they spotted her around the city to ask about her commentary.

Jones, who owns a Salem sign company, said he has talked to constituents about the rail yard, and though there is a "good opposition," there also are a lot of people who see it as a way to offset other costs to Salem taxpayers, he said.

There isn't enough available information to make a sound decision on whether the intermodal facility would be good or bad for Salem, Jones said.

Johnson, who runs a Salem jewelry business, said only a few people have mentioned the rail yard to her. Like Jones, she said there isn't enough information on the facility.

The candidates may not have to say much more about the intermodal facility if it's not located in Salem.

In January, Jennifer Pickett, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said 10 sites still are beings considered for the rail yard -- although some sites have greater limitations than others. The feasibility of the Salem site, for instance, has been questioned because of its smaller size as well as its access to major arterial roads. An Elliston site in Montgomery County has long been eyed by the railroad as its preferred choice. There's also a site off Garman Road near Glenvar in Roanoke County, close to the Elliston site, that has received extra attention.

Officials in Montgomery and Roanoke counties have said they don't want the rail yard. Salem officials, however, have had intermittent talks with NS for the past 10 years about having an intermodal rail yard built in the city.

In a letter written in April, City Manager Forest Jones and Mayor Howard Packett said the rail yard would create an economic impact too significant to pass up.

NS owns 10 acres of property on Colorado Street, and the property is properly zoned for the intermodal rail yard.

After learning that a site off Colorado Street is being considered for the facility, some Salem residents knocked on their neighbors' doors and distributed leaflets with information about the environmental hazards an intermodal yard could pose.

With the intermodal site still up in the air, Billy Jones, Johnson and Garst said they are concentrating on other issues as well.

Property taxes have increased by 15 percent to 25 percent in the past three years, Billy Jones said, and "that's a big concern for people."

"I'm a businessperson, and I look at things a little bit differently," he said Friday about the property tax increases.

"You can't cut taxes until you cut spending."

Billy Jones and Garst said they would like to look at ways to address extensive renovations needed at four of Salem's six public schools.

Johnson, who serves on the Western Virginia Regional Jail authority board, has said she is interested in continuing to represent Salem in that regard as a new jail facility is built.

Salem City Council members are elected at large and serve four-year terms. Three of five council members -- Johnson, Packett and Councilman Chris Clemens -- will see their terms expire this year.

Packett has said he doesn't plan to seek re-election.

Clemens, a lawyer, is considered a front-runner for a Roanoke-area judgeship that will open this year. He couldn't serve on city council if chosen for that position. If NS holds to a hinted deadline of this winter, the company will make a decision on the site of the intermodal facility well before Salem's May 6 general elections.