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RRQZ AIS 2/25/08 Other City Staff present: David Roth and Lindsay Selser Process Summary City of Eugene staff hosted four public forums to discuss and solicit input on the feasibility of establishing a Railroad Quiet Zone in the Downtown and Whiteaker areas. The involvement process was designed to provide residents and business owners near the rail tracks and members of the community living outside of the study area with opportunities to comment on the implications of creating a quiet zone in Eugene. The first three meetings included background information about railroad quiet zones and a presentation on various alternatives and options. These alternatives and options were refined after each meeting as we obtained further public input. Presentations were typically followed by staff facilitated break-out sessions and focused discussions to capture and synthesize issues important to participants. Goals for the meetings included 1) information sharing to the public, and; 2) collecting and recording feedback and concerns about on implementing a quiet zone in Eugene. The final public meeting included a review of the public involvement process and the input that had been received to date. The primary purpose of the final meeting was to obtain final comments and opinions and to report back on the most widely accepted scenario for establishing a quiet zone. City Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen and Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld presented at the final meeting. Advertisement Advertisement for the workshops included the following: A postcard invitation was mailed on August 22 to more than 4300 residents, ? property owners and business owners in the area surrounding the Railroad tracks from Hilyard to Van Buren Streets. Personal invitations were mailed to other interested parties and stakeholders. ? An article on quiet zone study-related events was included in the August 16 ? edition of the Council Newsletter. A news release was distributed on August 20. ? An advertisement was run in the Register Guard on August 25. ? An article titled "Public input sought on railroad quiet zones" appeared in the R-G ? on Aug. 27, 2007. City staff attended the Whiteaker Community Council meeting on July 11, to give ? updates on the project and to provide notice of the upcoming meeting. th Prior to the September 6 business meeting reminder leaflets were distributed to ? the businesses along the railroad corridor. th Prior to the final meeting on October 16 reminder emails were sent out to all the ? . stakeholders and interested parties Railroad Quiet Zone Public Input Report Page 2