Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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the City of Eugene had been working on many sustainability practices for a long time, and he said it should receive credit for the work it had done long before sustainability became the “issue du jour.” He emphasized that the topic was huge and recommended the council pay close attention to what the commission did and remember it could not do it all but wanted to do what it could well. Mr. Shaver invited the council’s input in the future. B. WORK SESSION Railroad Quiet Zone Tom Larsen, Public Works Transportation, provided the staff report, reminding the council of past work sessions about the topic, where staff was directed by the council to monitor the train crossing situation in the central area and investigate the success of other quiet zones. Subsequently, staff learned of the availability of some federal funding in the form of Section 130 dollars, safety money administered by the State. In order to qualify for those dollars, crossings must be closed, with a focus on redundant crossings. The federal government indicated that the six crossings in six blocks likely constituted redundant crossings. He said that the council had a policy against closing streets and the council directed staff to solicit public input on the topic. Mr. Larsen emphasized it was possible to have a quiet zone without any street closures. The closures could vary in cost from $25,000 to $400,000; many crossings were not appropriate for the lower cost supplemen- tal safety measures. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the railroad strongly supported closures but there was limited funding. He said that closing at least one crossing helped in regard to the negotiations and diagnostic process. Rob Inerfeld of Public Works Transportation provided an overview of the community outreach done in regard to the topic. He reported there was strong residential support for quiet zones, while businesses were supportive or noncommittal. People favored quiet zones with no street closures but a majority of those who attended expressed support for one street closure. Staff had recommended that street be Madison Street. Mr. Larsen called attention to information in the AIS regarding costs, noting the single street closure was reflected in Table 1. Mayor Piercy solicited council comments and questions. Ms. Ortiz commended the staff work but found none of the staff-prepared motions sufficient. She noted that a group of people had been identified to serve on a Citizen Advisory Group (CAG) charged to work on railroad-related issues and she thought the topic was one of the topics that groups should be assessing. Ms. Ortiz noted the council’s receipt of an e-mail message from resident Brian Obie, who had suggested the City, through the United Front effort, request federal money to underwrite the costs of a quiet zone. She endorsed Mr. Obie’s suggestion. She thought Mr. Obie was correct and given his huge investment in the community, the City could, on its part, work to get a quiet zone, which affected his business. Ms. Ortiz said the Whiteaker Community Council took a position that, while it did not prefer street closures, suggested that affected residents should not have to pay for it. Mr. Larsen said the City had not decided on a local improvement district, although it had been discussed. He noted there were quiet zones based on a downtown business tax and on revenue bonds; it was up to the community to decide how to pay for it. Ms. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 25, 2008 Page 6 Work Session