05-10-17 City Council Agenda Packet

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05",)# %.'!'%-%.4 !30%#4 /& 4(% 2!),2/!$ 15)%4 :/.% 02/0/3!, Implicit in the discussions of safety measures at railroad crossings in the downtown and Whiteaker areas and options for funding the construction of safety measures. The public outreach initiatives and engagement findings are detailed below. 0±®µ¨£¨¦ )¥®±¬ ³¨® ³® ³§¤ 0´¡«¨¢ ²¤¤ !¯¯¤£¨· ! The foundation of the public outreach process is a public outreach plan (). This plan was reviewed and refined early on by the RRQZ Citizen Advisory Panel and again prior to the initiation of stakeholder meetings. Five outreach goals were established: the public and elected officials have accurate information upon which to base opinions and decision-making; authentic listening sessions and other public involvement mechanisms ensure that staff and decision-makers have heard all ideas; citizen advisory panel members are comfortable with their role in the public engagement process; key stakeholders feel they have reasonable engagement opportunities; and awareness is increased about the preferred options for safety measures at the various crossings and the costs associated with the preferred safety options. Information has been provided through a number of channels: a web site (www.eugene- or.gov/quietzone) was established and received more than 3,700 page views from Nov. 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016. A fact sheet was written and distributed at all stakeholder meetings and posted on the web. A short video was created and posted to the web and sent out via Facebook and Twitter. Local media also helped convey information to a broad audience. Media coverage included at least four television news stories over the past year plus at least five stories and an editorial in the Register-Guard, an editorial comment in Eugene Weekly, and 10 letters to the editor. Perhaps most significantly, the citizen advisory panel was formed and numerous stakeholder meetings were held. While these meetings were designed primarily to receive input, a considerable amount of information was provided to participants. The information included in-depth explanations of various safety measures at specific locations, detailed discussions about financing options, and presentations on the process, legal authorities and timelines involved in forming a railroad quiet zone. 2¤¢¤¨µ¨¦ &¤¤£¡ ¢ª ¥±®¬ ³§¤ 0´¡«¨¢ Eugene Public Works formed the 11-person citizen advisory panel to provide input on the proposed RRQZ. The panel was charged with providing a recommendation to Public Works staff and the City Council for supplemental safety measures each crossing in the rail corridor between Hilyard Street and Van Buren Street, and also providing a recommendation for funding supplemental safety measures. The panel met seven times between November 2015 and November 2016. Details about the panel membership and meeting notes can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/3136/RRQZ-Citizen- Advisory-Panel. ²¤¤ !¯¯¤£¨· In addition to the advisory panel, City staff met with more than 20 property owners ( B ), many of them businesses adjacent to or near the rail crossings. Those meetings, educational in nature, allowed the interested parties the opportunity to express their opinions about the proposal. The feedback received from these meetings was shared with the citizen advisory panel and helped inform technical decisions about the feasibility of safety improvements at specific locations. City staff also met with nine stakeholder groups including neighborhood groups, business ²¤¤ !¯¯¤£¨· # associations and advocacy groups (). Discussions included an informative 13