CC Minutes - 06/26/06 Work Session

Home Browse Search

Mr. Kelly said the major challenge was timing as funding could be provided from the council’s contingency if other sources were not available. He said it was necessary for the review to occur in the fall as the budget was developed early in the year and suggested that one or two meetings of the full Budget Committee could be added to the fall schedule. Ms. Piercy noted that one of the challenges was to develop procedures for responding to funding requests within a matrix that provided a comprehensive look at services and priorities and enabled the council to make thoughtful decisions about those requests. Ms. Taylor said she would support the amendment and while the council would make the decisions it would be with the advice of staff and the Budget Committee. The motion to amend passed, 4:3; Mr. Pryor, Mr. Poling and Ms. Solomon voting in opposition. The main motion as amended passed unanimously, 7:0. C. WORK SESSION: Railroad Quiet Zone Update City Manager Taylor introduced Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen to discuss options that could lead to a quieter downtown. Mr. Larsen said a quiet zone as defined by the railroad was a cessation of the routine crossing horns; it would not quiet warning horns, such as a train leaving the station or vehicle or pedestrian on the tracks. He said the $2 million in additional railroad detection/pre-emption equipment estimated earlier was not required. He said no State or federal funds were available for acquiring a quiet zone; some funding was available from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for safety improvements but ODOT preferred the closure of streets that crossed the railroad, which was contrary to connectivity requirements in the development code. He said a recently established quiet zone in Klamath Falls had failed the review process and was in the negotiation process. He noted there was some potential for ODOT through the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to close crossings if they were considered to be redundant or unsafe based on the crash history, independent of funding. He indicated that the City’s policy was to convert one-way streets to two- way and ODOT would prefer one-way streets. Ms. Piercy asked if ODOT would move to close streets even if the City chose not to. Mr. Larsen replied that all crossings were regulated by the PUC, but it would take something dramatic at a particular crossing for the PUC to take that action. He noted that Eugene was in the Cascadia Corridor and rail traffic, particularly freight, was on the increase; ODOT, the PUC and railroads were concerned about what safety improvements could be made. He said the most likely location would be the six crossings in six blocks at Lincoln Street/Lawrence Street, Washington Street/Jefferson Street and Madison Street/Monroe Street. City Manager Taylor added there was a conflict between the City’s view of those crossings and ODOT’s view, but closing at-grade crossings had been a priority for railroad transportation departments for the last 30 years, especially as data was available to identify problematic crossings. Ms. Piercy said she had heard from many constituents about the decibel level of trains and the impact on people throughout the community. Mr. Larsen said that a new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rule adopted last year capped train horn sound levels at 110 decibels and under that rule railroads had gone to a MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 26, 2006 Page 6 Work Session