Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Ortiz did not want to see the neighbors assessed for the street closures given that all residents would benefit from the quiet zone. Mr. Clark said if pushed, he would accept the manager’s recommendations, but he too was not satisfied with any of the options. He supported a quiet zone in concept but pointed out that whistles were designed to keep people safe at the crossings. He noted that Coos Bay was considering facility improvements that could substantially increase rail traffic going through Eugene, further increasing the opportunities for accidents at railroad crossings. He had some concerns about creating a quiet zone in advance of that because it could create safety challenges for the City. Mr. Clark said that $1.4 million for a quiet zone was quite a bit of money given the City’s budgetary challenges. While he would like to support the zone, he would have to say, “not at the moment, but we’ll keep working on it.” He agreed that the City should look to its federal representatives for assistance. He did not favor placing the item in the budget right now. Mr. Pryor said in principle he supported such a zone as residents wanted it. However, Mr. Pryor stressed, the crossings must be safe; that must be the overriding consideration. He agreed the City should seek federal funding. He pointed out that the physical improvements associated with the zone would be a one-time expenditure. He thought that fact created more opportunity if the council was willing to take it. He acknowledged the council would have to find a source of funding. Mr. Pryor confirmed with Mr. Larsen that the needed improvements must be made to an entire area to achieve quiet zone status. Mr. Larsen said that there were about two miles involved overall. Speaking to the issue of safety, Mr. Larsen said the anticipated reduction in vehicles and the safety measures to be installed would produce a safer situation. Mr. Pryor said that safety and a quiet zone were not mutually exclusive. He wanted to keep moving forward with a quiet zone in a realistic manner. He said if the council decided on a one-time capital commitment, he believed it would need to decide what other project would be dropped. Mr. Pryor reiterated that he wanted to continue to move forward on the process. Ms. Solomon was unclear as to why the City needed a consultant to do work she thought could as easily be done by staff. She did not favor closing streets as she envisioned that would create ghetto-like qualities in the residential areas affected and harm to the businesses involved, and the other side streets nearby would be stressed by the additional load from cars avoiding the area. Ms. Solomon asked the costs of installing quad gates. Mr. Larsen said that it was $400,000 to $500,000 per gate. There were likely to be associated maintenance costs of about $10,000 annually. Ms. Solomon recalled hearing at a workshop on the subject that a quiet zone did not guarantee train horns would stop. Mr. Larsen concurred. He said that generally, the zone quieted only routine horns, but train engineers could still sound the train horn for a variety of safety-related reasons, including work crews, people on the tracks, and when they left the yard or station. Ms. Solomon wanted people to understand a quiet zone would only silence routine horns. Mr. Zelenka supported the establishment of a quiet zone. He agreed that safety was the paramount issue and it appeared a quiet zone would improve safety. He did not favor the establishment of a local improve- ment district to fund the street closures. He also agreed with Ms. Solomon about the need for a consultant. He wanted the affected neighborhood to be involved with any street closures. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 25, 2008 Page 7 Work Session