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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/04/28 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular Jif St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL MEETING/LISTENING SESSION#2 ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA APRIL 28,2011 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Anne Mavity, Paul Omodt, Susan Sanger, and Sue Santa. Councilmembers absent: Phil Finkelstein and Julia Ross. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director (Ms. Deno), Community Development Director (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Organizational Development Coordinator (Ms. Gothberg), Office Assistant (Ms. Luedke),Notetaker(Ms. Stegora-Peterson), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guest: Mr. Dave McKenzie(SEH, Inc.) la. Pledge of Allegiance lb. Roll Call 2. Presentation—Freight Railroad Update Mayor Jacobs expressed the City Council's thanks to everyone for attending. He stated that the first session last night went really well and commented that it is great to see so many residents attend to talk about this important issue. He noted that this meeting is intended to be a listening session for residents as well as a chance to talk to and listen to one another and for the Council to listen. Mr. Harmening provided brief historical information regarding the Kenilworth corridor and SWLRT, stating that the Kenilworth corridor has been chosen as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), or preferred route, to connect downtown Minneapolis all the way to Eden Prairie. He indicated that that decision has raised a number of questions about where freight rail would be located and until that question is answered and a solution determined, the SWLRT project cannot proceed. He advised that two specific freight rail routing options are being considered, one option would continue to use the Kenilworth corridor by co-locating in that corridor and the second option involves rerouting that same freight rail traffic that passes through St. Louis Park and the Kenilworth corridor onto the existing MNS line. He discussed the two City Council policy statements contained in the form of resolutions which makes clear that the City Council supports the implementation of the SWLRT project, but also makes clear that the City Council continues to oppose the rerouting of freight rail traffic from the Kenilworth corridor to the MNS route unless a number of conditions are met relating to the lack of another viable route being available and that a number of mitigation measures were implemented. He noted that the County and Mn/DOT have undertaken a series of studies on freight rail, examining the feasibility of using the MNS line a for freight rail which includes the preparation of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) which will be released shortly. He then introduced Mr. Dave McKenzie, the City's engineering consultant. City Council Meeting/Listening Session -2- Apnl 28, 2011 Mr. McKenzie presented a detailed overview of his Technical Memorandum #4 (Memo #4), noting that the report is still in draft form pending release of the EAW. He stated that Memo #4 provides a comparison of the Kenilworth and MNS corridors and the impacts to St. Louis Park as well as potential mitigation measures. He reviewed the TC&W freight rail map, stating that TC&W is primarily a local carver that ships grain, corn, soybeans, sugar and some coal. He presented a map of the Kenilworth corridor compared to the MNS corridor as well as the proposed MNS/BNSF reroute, noting that more detailed maps are available upon request. He indicated that TC&W has raised a concern regarding the existing grades on the MNS route. He then reviewed how the Kenilworth corridor would look, with the proposal to shift freight traffic over to the west from its current location with light rail going down the middle of this route. He discussed the potential impacts to the Cedar Lake Shores townhome development and the potential taking of 33 units. He presented a comparison table outlining existing conditions, conditions if Kenilworth is chosen, and conditions if MNS is chosen, and reviewed train operations, track, road crossings, residential impacts, and institutional and business impacts. He discussed at grade road crossings and explained the exposure calculations contained in the report. He then presented information regarding SWLRT and freight rail and key factors to be considered, including relocation of the regional trail and "4f' parkland issues. He provided an overview of potential mitigation measures and stated that there are three components to mitigation, including what is required under the law, negotiated mitigation between the affected parties, and mitigation efforts referred to as "betterments." He encouraged residents to contact him and/or City staff with questions. Mayor Jacobs stated that the City will continue to work closely with County, State, and Federal officials and will insist that the City and its residents be taken seriously. He indicated that this listening session is a chance for residents to voice their questions and concerns, and for the City Council to listen. He explained that following the listening sessions, City staff will combine all of the comments and questions and post responses on the City's website; in addition, the City Council will hold a Study Session on May 9th to debrief on the listening sessions. Ms. Gothberg explained the process for resident comments and reminded residents that the City Council will be listening only this evening and no formal Council action will be taken at the listening sessions. She stated that two people are taking minutes and the listening session is being videotaped for rebroadcast. She stated that Councilmember Julia Ross was unavailable for tonight's listening session due to her required attendance at a neighborhood meeting and Councilmember Phil Finkelstein is currently in a trial in southern Minnesota and hopes to arrive later this evening. 3. Audience Comments Mr. Mike Hough, 3225 Blackstone Avenue, expressed his appreciation to the City for the nice job in keeping residents abreast on what is going on with this difficult decision. He wished to state for the record that the MNS is grossly under-designed for safety and in his mind; a grade separation is the real answer to taking care of these issues, particularly at the high school. He stated that a friend of his that attended last night's session left with the impression that the Kenilworth corridor would not work because the design concepts are so difficult for the stations. He indicated that he did some checking and even if MNS is chosen, there will be light rail stations at Penn, Blake, Hopkins and Highway 62, all of which will have the light rail station with a bike path and freight included all side by side, and he could guarantee that they will figure out how to make it work, so they should make it work on the Kenilworth corridor. City Council Meeting/Listening Session -3- April 28, 2011 Ms. Jami LaPray, 3256 Blackstone Avenue, stated that after last night's session, she kept thinking about the comments from the Chamber of Commerce representatives, and she felt she needed to comment further. She stated for the record that she is in favor of SWLRT and the speakers from the Chamber of Commerce implied that if St. Louis Park does not accept freight on the MNS, it will be our fault if the light rail fails. She stated that if light rail fails, it will not be the fault of residents of St. Louis Park who are standing up for themselves, residents will not be pushed around, it is not the City Council's fault for living up to the resolutions it passed, which the County ignored. She added it will not fail because the City was unwilling to accept more costs than any other community. She stated that if freight rail causes light rail to fail, that failure falls squarely on the shoulders of the County because they lacked the vision to look at light rail and freight rail when planning light rail, the County has been dismissive, condescending, and sometimes, people believe, they have been dishonest. She stated she is incensed that residents would be blamed for something that is absolutely, positively not their fault. Ms. Claudia Johnston, 3931 Joppa Avenue, stated that her neighborhood is not impacted by this issue, but there are a lot of residents in the neighborhood who have children going to schools, visiting the library, visiting small business owners in the area who are all going to be impacted by the traffic and what will happen to residents and businesses directly affected by this. She stated that she is a Planning Commissioner and requested to serve on the PMT and so far, the PMT is one of the strangest groups she has been involved with. She stated that the PMT process is not working for a lot of reasons. She stated her biggest concern is whether or not each and every one of the members of the City Council is going to support the resolutions that were signed; that resolution says that the City "opposes the rerouting of freight rail from the Kenilworth corridor to St. Louis Park unless the following conditions are clearly met" and goes on to state "[unless] it is established through a very thorough and careful analysis that no other viable route exists... There is appropriate mitigation of any and all negative impacts associated with rail rerouting, funded by sources other than the City of St. Louis Park... elimination of railroad switching, sorting and blocking operations. Removal of the existing `wye' rail tracks... Creation of a freight rail single track corridor with significant right of way..." She stated that none of these conditions are being met with the PMT group and they have ignored the majority of the recommendations made by residents. She stated that she does not intend to be disrespectful to all who have worked on the PMT committee, but felt that the EAW is a joke and the result is not going to be what it could have been. She stated that residents need to know where the City Council stands, whether the City Council supports the resolutions, and whether the City Council will let the phone calls from the County or Mn/DOT intimidate them if the Council does not allow this to happen in St. Louis Park. Ms. Liz Diencks, 2635 Alabama Avenue, stated that she moved here because she saw the area as a clean, nice place with access to trails and is concerned that all that is going to go away if this happens. She stated that the Iron Triangle has not been previously discussed and felt her neighborhood, which is between the rail line and Highway 100 north of Minnetonka Boulevard, has been under-represented in the meetings. She indicated that in talking with the Histoncal Society and others in the area, she learned that rail was taken out because it had a high propensity for derailment and it is now being proposed to put it back in with a sharp curve, with high speed trains carrying hazardous chemicals, to close the at grade crossings at 28 and 29th, and to close the highway access at 27th Street. She questioned what is going to happen with emergency vehicle access as well as citizen evacuation when those derailments happen. She stated this is putting residents in an unsafe environment, and added there are 1,000 homes in this five by seven block neighborhood, and she has not heard this talked about. She referred to the environmental impact study and the maps identified wetlands with 100% overlap with FEMA City Council Meeting/Listening Session -4- April 28, 2011 floodplain lands, and asked why only 1.75 acres of that land is being planned to be protected by the Wetland Conservation Act and Army Corps of Engineers permitting process. She stated that she has not seen a side-by-side comparison anywhere and while she appreciated the City Council's efforts to bring the issue to this level, she questioned who was listening to residents and who the decision-makers are. She also asked "what is the criteria" and "who is looking at that side-by-side list?" Mr. Chris Gaspard, 6210 Hamilton Street, stated that the new bridge on Wooddale has improved traffic, however, he still has difficulty getting out on his street because of the traffic backing up at the stop sign. He questioned how much more difficult that will be when trains are added. He stated there will be major traffic impacts on the infrastructure and the City is not prepared for this. He stated that he felt it was crazy to make the trains climb, do a crazy turn, and whip around, which sounds like the trains will roll over onto the high school parking lot. He stated he did not think this was a good idea, and as the City's elected officials, residents have to put their faith in the Council and residents want to know where each of the Councilmembers stands on this matter. He stated that if the train goes through, the City Council is to blame and this will put a lot of people's lives, property, and life savings in jeopardy. He expressed concern about property tax values going down significantly and this will diminish the quality of the City. He stated that the City will no longer include nice starter homes with new families, and conditions will worsen with noise and a bad infrastructure. He also expressed concern about the planes flying directly over the City, and if you drop a grid over the City, there will be planes, trains, and automobiles, and it is not okay to dump this on our laps. He hoped that the City Council will take the time to assess its priorities and not let the County push it around. Mr. Fritz Vandoyer, 5915 West 42nd Street, stated that he lives 90' from the tracks south of Excelsior Boulevard. He stated that the problem with transit in the United States is that it benefits people at either end and does not often benefit people along the way. He stated this must work for St. Louis Park and it can be a positive benefit. He stated that whatever the City Council does, whatever the City Council recommends and whatever the City Council fights for, it must benefit the City. He stated that residents are not talking about the negatives of light rail, they are talking about the negatives of freight rail. Mr. David Teigland, 2635 Alabama Avenue, was not present at the listening session when his name was called. Mr. Dale Hanson, 2555 Xenwood Avenue South, stated that one thing not being addressed is the pinch-point in the Kenilworth corndor referred to in Mr. McKenzie's presentation. He stated it shows everything at grade and there is a nice bridge over Highway 7 for bikers and joggers. He asked why the same couldn't be in the Kenilworth corridor, adding that this would increase the space a lot before the rail and would be a lot less expensive than the mitigations mentioned. Ms. Janet Ungs, 2554 Alabama Avenue, stated that she lives in the Iron Triangle and this is the first time she has heard it mentioned, yet there is a lot of concern about this for those living there. She stated that she has lived in the area for 27 years and the railroad activity has been minimal. She expressed concern about impacts to property values, safety, noise, and vibrations, adding that during the day, she can hear a faint hum from the trains, but at night with two trains going slow she can hear the vibrations of pictures on her walls. She stated if additional and faster trains are added, she worries not only about the pictures on her walls but also what it will do to the structure of buildings. She indicated that if the bypass goes through in the Iron Triangle, it will affect the townhome garages and homes. She stated she has served for a number of years on the townhome's board of directors and found the railroad is not a good neighbor, noting that there City Council Meeting/Listening Session -5- April 28, 2011 are a lot of trees on railroad property that border the townhome property and several trees have fallen over onto garages, but the railroad has not taken care of removal of the trees after they were contacted, resulting in the townhome association spending money to remove the trees and repair the garages. She added that the City contacted them about elm disease and the townhome association informed the City that the diseased trees are owned by the railroad and they had tried for a number of years to get the railroad to take care of the trees. She stated the overall cost would be less to keep the trains in the Kenilworth corridor and asked the City Council to consider having light rail in that corridor to minimize the impact to other areas of the City. She stated she has not heard any benefit to St. Louis Park and wondered why the City Council was having this discussion in light of the resolutions it passed. She indicated that at meetings in January and February, several people asked if the decision was already made and no one could provide a direct answer; in addition, people asked who the decision-makers are and nobody could tell them. She stated that she hoped the City Council was here to listen and asked if the City Council's resolutions have clout or whether it was window dressing. Ms. Karen Hroma, 2753 Blackstone Avenue, stated that at the beginning of this meeting, the Mayor stated the City Council insists that St. Louis Park be taken seriously and that he is proud that these listening sessions have been civil and effective. She indicated as a member of the PMT, St. Louis Park has not been taken seriously and those meetings have been anything but effective and respectful. She asked the City Council what it is going to do to make sure the City is taken seriously and stated that she wants to know what the City can do and what it is going to do. She stated the County studies are flawed and the best word to describe the PMT meetings is that they have been insulting and a waste of time. She referred to an issue with the PMT process related to the 29th Street closure and stated that as a Birchwood representative, she along with other residents requested that 29th Street not close, which was submitted as a written request to Kimley Horn. She indicated that when the study came out, the 29th Street closure was listed as mitigation and questioned how that can be considered mitigation. She asked if that was mitigation for the railroad. She concurred with Ms. LaPray's remarks regarding support for SWLRT and stated that the County made the mistake of separating light rail and freight rail from the beginning. She stated it was insulting to hear at PMT meetings that St. Louis Park unanimously voted for that route, while neglecting to say that the City had concerns about that route. She stated that she is confused that the County has been able to keep the reroute separate from light rail when it requested Federal funding and questioned why St. Louis Park is portrayed as the bad guys for getting in the way of light rail. She asked where the money is coming from for this project, adding that the plans have been changed because there is not enough money to fund the project, as has been seen with the Highway 100 project. She expressed concern about quiet zones and stated that most of the time a city pays for quiet zones and typically Mn/DOT does not contribute to quiet zones. She also expressed concern that insufficient funding will mean that minimal mitigation will go away as well. Mr. Dan Goldman, 5353 Gamble Drive, stated that he owns the apartments at 8800 West 36th Street, and is attending representing the business community as Chairman of the St. Louis Park Business Council, which is a committee of the Chamber of Commerce. He stated that he feels bad that some residents feel the Chamber is pointing a finger at them for wanting safety and peace of mind because that is not where the Chamber is coming from; however, the Chamber does see light rail as a tremendous asset for all of St. Louis Park, including the residents of his apartment building who will be able to'walk to the light rail station to get to work. He stated it is important that we come up with something that makes light rail a success, keeping in mind the safety of residents. City Council Meeting/Listening Session -6- Apnl 28, 2011 Ms. Dorothy Doyle, 3041 Maryland Avenue, expressed her fervent support for improving transit in the region. She recognized the challenge of dealing with all the competing interests and credited the City for working hard and credited the County for working to make light rail a reality in the community. Ms. Louise Kurzeka, 3301 Library Lane, stated that she has been working hard to educate people in her neighborhood about this process and expressed her appreciation to City staff for their help. She stated it will be important to work to find a win-win situation and right now, there is a lose- lose happening. She discussed property values and research done in the summer of 2004 which appeared in the Appraisal Journal that shows increased freight rail impacts home values with an expected 5-7% drop in home values for those homes within 750' of tracks. She stated as train trips go up, that number goes up as well, and the more trips in a day, the more negative impact there is. She stated it is significant to know that that research was applied to home values and sizes of homes very similar to St. Louis Park. She stated that she did a simple count of parcels and came up with 800 parcels affected within 750' of tracks, taking that number and using a Minneapolis 2011 median sale of $172,000, equates to an $8,600 drop in values, or approximately $6.88 million that people will lose on their property values, which will also translate into less property tax value for the City. She stated the research also shows that when light rail goes in, there is an increase in property values, noting that areas like Philadelphia and Portland experienced increases of 3.8-10.6% in terms of actual mean value. She stated it is clear that if you can offset the loss of having freight rail introduced by having the bonus of light rail, by keeping freight rail and light rail in the Kenilworth corridor, you will still see an increase in value overall, but it is not fair to ask 800 parcels to take the hit for everybody else to get the plus on the other side. She stated that San Diego is a fabulous model for light rail and heavy rail that co-exist with a lot of pedestrian traffic. She stated that Springfield, Illinois, is facing the same kind of issue as St. Louis Park and in a review of their Planning Commission notes, it was stated that when selecting among alternatives, those alternatives should consider the fewest negative effects for the largest number of people. She asked that the City Council take that to heart and support its residents and not have the reroute on the MNS. Ms. Kathryn Kottke, 2712 Brunswick Avenue, thanked the City Council for providing her another opportunity to speak. She referenced two articles that quoted Mayor Jacobs as saying St. Louis Park does not have much to say in this issue. She stated that she understands that the City Council can tell the County that it does not accept this reroute because it does not accept their mitigation and it does not accept their mitigation because it is not safe for the community or appropriate given the circumstances. She referred to the Chamber of Commerce comments last night and a reference to the money that can be made with light rail, and did not believe that light rail would be scrapped because the MNS route will not work without significant mitigation. She stated that the City can have light rail, if and when the County decides to do it right. She urged the City Council not to let this turn into another wi-fi debacle and to recognize the long-term costs of rerouting freight rail will be impossible to recover from should the City Council regret its decision. She also referred to a speaker last night that claimed he survived living near the trains 40 years ago, but noted that those trains were shorter and slower. She stated that this plan will approve longer, faster trains and she does not want to think about living in an environment by simply surviving. She urged the City Council to do the right thing for its residents and constituents and not accept this plan until the County is willing to do it honestly and safely. Ms. Michele Maurer, 2748 Brunswick Avenue, stated that she wanted to publicly thank Councilmembers Omodt, Mavity, and Sanger for responding to her email, in which she equated this issue to the 35W project because that project cut the city in half, created blight, and created crime in a transitional neighborhood. She stated that she is worried about that same thing City Council Meeting/Listening Session -7- April 28, 2011 happening along the City's corridor, about properties turning into rental properties, about decreases in value, as well as the effect of transitional or rental housing on kids coming in and out of the City's schools and how that brings down the entire pull or magnet of St. Louis Park and its schools. She agreed with the earlier statement regarding the challenges faced by residents with the noise of airplanes and trains, which will get worse and lead to a greater likelihood of lower values in housing and rental property and the crime that comes with it, which will reduce the tax base at a time when the City will need more police and fire. She expressed concern about the dangers of kids walking along the tracks. She stated that she loves light rail,but does not like freight rail. Mr. Omar Zaidi, 4129 Xenwood Avenue South, stated that he has lived in the same house for 13 years and enjoys the sense of togetherness and knowing his neighbors. He stated that he likes the concept of having light rail, but asked that the City Council be smart about how it gets through the process. He stated that it appears residents are concerned that they are not getting the right information or are having difficulty locating accurate information. He stated that it took him three weeks of digging through the website and calling for information and found it was difficult to find information. He asked the City Council to look at all the people who came to these listening sessions and to let them become the City Council's advocates in whatever decision is made and to think about the whole community and to hear the residents. He stated that someone has to stand up to the County and Federal officials because this is a City issue that the City decides. He stated he is very concerned that the reasons we live here may get taken away if the reroute happens. Ms. Renee Beltrand, 2805 Zarthan, agreed with what has been said and was sorry that the whole community has to solve this for the County. She stated that light rail is important and she supports mass transit. She stated she was upset that Mr. McKenzie was laughing about the prospect of building a new high school and that that was a mitigation cost that was laughable. She stated that it is daunting to wrap your mind around all of this. She indicated that one of the reasons she moved to St. Louis Park was because it is a good community for children, and she wondered how to maintain that if parents have to be fearful of sending their kids to walk to the park or to school when the railroad can carry any type of freight, even anhydrous ammonia. She questioned why 57 townhome units were more important than 1,200 students in school every day and felt it was not an apples to apples comparison. She questioned what will happen to the quality of the City's education and how to attract teachers. She expressed concern about blight in the neighborhoods and the 25' corridor, adding that she did not think anybody would call that safe if a freight train is moving at 20-30 mph. She added that she attended the 2011 Caring Youth ceremony which drove home three important points to children: don't use hazardous substances, don't speed, and wear a seatbelt. She stated that residents do not want hazardous substances in their neighborhoods, they do not want speeding trains in their neighborhoods, and they need safety in the Park. Mr. Joe LaPray, 3256 Blackstone Avenue, stated that he is looking forward to light rail and hopes that it happens. He asked the City Council what happens if the light rail is not funded. He also asked what happens to freight rail if the funding for light rail is postponed. He stated that his understanding is that the rail in the Kenilworth corridor needs to be replaced and that the MNS trackage is not up to standards for the kind of usage TCW puts on it. He asked who would pay for rebuilding the trackage if the light rail does not happen. Mr. Tom Pearson, 2706 Yosemite, stated that he lives in the Iron Triangle area and is two and one-half blocks from the rail and half a block below it. He stated he is against the rerouting of freight rail through St. Louis Park which has no relationship to his feelings about light rail, City Council Meeting/Listening Session -8- April 28, 2011 because he is a big supporter of light rail. He indicated that rerouting of freight rail will have a negative impact on the quality of life, not just the noise, but also safety and will have a negative impact on property values. He stated that none of the so-called mitigation measures will change that in the Iron Triangle area and keeping freight rail traffic in the Kenilworth corridor will not have those negative impacts on quality of life or property values because it is already there and is designed for it. He added that rerouting freight rail through St. Louis Park is not the only solution for light rail and felt that St. Louis Park should just say no to that solution. Mr. Bill James, 3224 Florida Avenue, stated that he has been involved for a long time in rail projects in St. Louis Park and serves as the City's representative on the County Corridor Management Committee for SWLRT. He expressed support for the SWLRT project currently underway. He stated that there are two common denominators related to this issue: mitigation and the responsibility of the County and Mn/DOT as it relates to the issues at large. He explained that at a top line level, the project is $80-90 million depending on where freight rail resides and in the context of the light rail project, that cost is $1.25 billion or about 6-8.5% of that figure. He stated that the mitigation assessment and budgeting within the light rail program has a variance of 10-15%, and those mitigation issues are all bucketed within the draft EAW which is underway for light rail. He referred to the DEIS, a federally mandated document that is required for putting in light rail, and encouraged the City Council and all citizens to take advantage of the comment period on the DEIS and to bring forth any issues on the rail project across the entire line or in the City. He stated that the 45-day comment period is open and accessible on the internet with links posted on the City's website. He noted that once a comment has been entered, it has to be addressed and comments regarding mitigation, both required and subjective, can be entered for review and comment, which will be entered into the Federal Register. He stated that this document is important for capturing all'comments by citizens and encouraged the City to take great advantage of submitting everything into the DEIS because it will be documented and logged on the docket for addressing by members of the FTA as well as the County. Mr. Rolf Peterson, 3536 Zinran Avenue South, presented a large piece of limestone to the Council and stated that this sedimentary rock is heavy and will last forever, a lot like the railroad. He stated that this process, the PMT process, and the mitigation issues have caused him to lose all faith in the program. He stated that the City Council has met with the School Board and is aware of the School Board's efforts to see grade separated interchanges, to see pedestrian access over or under at Dakota Avenue, and to see curves straightened out. He stated he would prefer to see this in Kenilworth but if not, it needs to be done right. He expressed concern about losing the wye at Skunk Hollow and potential increased freight rail traffic in Savage. He stated that railroad companies are a common carrier and cannot say no to a shipment, even anhydrous ammonia. He expressed his appreciation to the City Council for its good working relationship with the School Board. Ms. Kandi Arries, 3051 Brunswick Avenue, stated she is the PMT representative from the Lenox neighborhood, and commented on her experience on the PMT by stating that it is her belief that the community involvement on the PMT was not sincere and not authentic. She stated that she took the City Council resolutions seriously, asked her neighbors for their concerns, thoughts, and solutions, brought it to the PMT, and in the end, were told at the last meeting that the expert opinion of the consultant will design the best outcome of this process and the best mitigation, and the mitigation lists presented by the neighborhood were rejected as not legally binding, instead deemed as betterments or a nice thing to do for the community. She stated that her interpretation of this is that these are not betterments or nice things, but are actually things that have been asked for and are things that are principles even within Federal government guidelines. She stated that in doing some research, she came across an interagency partnership City Council Meeting/Listening Session -9- April 28, 2011 of the EPA, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Department of Transportation, which established guidelines for rules of livability principles for future projects. She stated that two in particular could be applied to the impacts in this situation with freight rail, including enhanced economic competitiveness, and is described as improving economic competitiveness through reliable access, basic needs by workers, and expanded business access. She felt that a lot of this speaks to how the small businesses on Lake Street will be affected. She also felt that the accessibility of the high school and quality of education seems to be a principle that is valid in this situation as well. She stated that perhaps the most relevant value relates to the community and neighborhood livability principle of enhancing the unique characters of all communities investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods, which is the most overlooked principle when considering the net result of the MNS study. She noted that the Federal government established these mission statements to protect residents and added that they are not asking for betterments, rather, they are asking for a healthy, safe neighborhood. Ms. Lee Ann Landstrom, 2701 Yosemite, stated that she is most concerned for the safety of her fellow citizens. She agreed with the earlier comments from the Birchwood neighborhood and the potential for derailment in that area. She stated that after hearing Mr. McKenzie's presentation, it is obvious that the MNS is more curvy, has more crossings, is more steep, impacts more houses and schools, is more costly, and does not include mitigation, so it seems obvious to keep freight in the Kenilworth corridor and take out the townhomes so the light rail and freight rail can co-exist. She added that the City Council must insist that the reroute not happen through St. Louis Park. Ms. Betty Shaw, 2649 Huntington, agreed with Mr. Peterson's comments and as a former School Board member, can remember standing in the school buildings listening to trains and feeling the vibrations, knowing that teaching cannot occur when that happens. She stated when you start adding up the minutes lost by our children every day when a mile long train goes by, and the cost of educating our children, you have to consider the amount of cost to the taxpayer in unusable time in the classroom. She urged the City Council to hold the County's feet to the fire about the true cost of mitigation and to be firm with the people making decisions. She added that this cannot go through with the way the high school is now. Ms. Mary Hunt, 7021 West 23`d Street, stated that she previously sent an email to the City Council. She stated that there are so many aspects to this entire rail issue and it is hard to get a handle on it. She indicated that she has been sending emails to the PR person for over a month because her statistics were not complete and she requested further information. She stated that there is no livability in her home anymore because of the trains going 24/7 and she can feel her house shaking and it wakes her up at night. She explained that when she bought her house in 2006, she called Mn/DOT to find out how many trains went by and was told there were two trains a day and now there are 14 or more. She added that they improved the line a couple of years ago and apparently the track is considered a Class 4 track which means the trains can travel up to 60 mph. She expressed concern with light rail and high speed rail co-existing on the same tracks and the high speed rail maximum speed is 110 mph. She also expressed concern about mitigation, property values, and quality education. She agreed with the earlier comment that BNSF has not been a good neighbor. Mr. Tom Cremone, 3035 Brunswick Avenue, stated that there may be a perception on the part of people and at various levels of government that we are malcontents. He stated that this is an issue that will have a significant impact on the quality of life and desirability of houses and neighborhoods in the City. He stated that the City has leverage with the County and the City has an opportunity to have an impact on this. He asked that the City Council remember that it City Council Meeting/Listening Session -10- April 28, 2011 represents the residents, not the County, not Mn/DOT, not the Met Council, and to do its best to get the best possible deal for the neighborhoods and the whole City. Mr. Brian Granquist, 3115 Colorado Avenue, stated that he has only lived in the City for two years and they love the neighborhood. He stated it is clear that the County is not listening and there appears to be lack of leadership on this whole process. He referred to several assumptions made in the 1990's related to light rail on Hiawatha and acceptable mitigation. He stated that the County also made assumptions on decibel levels and traffic around the high school. He stated that right now, there are hundreds of officers in downtown Minneapolis making sure that Twins fans do not cross the light rail tracks, and he asked if St. Louis Park will do the same to make sure kids are not crossing the tracks. He asked the City Council to think about safety and to make sure it is clear on what the City wants and to make the County listen. He added that he felt the City Council has 48,000 people behind it. Ms. Linda Hatfield, 4181 Zarthan, expressed thanks to the City Council for hosting the listening sessions and putting in the time for these sessions. She stated when she bought her house 17 years ago, there were only two trains a day and today there are still only two trains. She stated she has never worried about her son's safety and the tracks. She stated she would like to know how each of these options is going to affect what is happening with the Dan Patch line, which goes by her house. She stated she would like to know how each of these options affects the planning and whether it will make it easier to get the Dan Patch through, which will mean 60 mph trains fourteen times a day. She stated that she cannot live there with that and would not be able to sell her home. She mentioned the fight forty years ago when they wanted to put the airport in Ham Lake and stated that her father was instrumental in fighting that. She indicated that the final decision came down to one report and a very small group of people who dug in their heels and said you have to listen to us. She added that the report said the airport would be put in the middle of a peat bog and will cost more than you think and we will make you listen. She stated that just a few people made them wake up and hear that, and it takes strength, guts, and determination to stand fast and do what is right. She stated that it is her hope that these are the qualities that this Council brings to the fight, it sounds like the County is not listening, and it is up to the Council to do what is right. Ms. Sharon Duncan 3249 Florida Avenue, expressed concern about the safety of children in schools and quoted from a book by Dr. David Walsh, author of"Why Do They Act That Way?" and "NO." She recited a portion of text referring to teenager's prefrontal cortex behind the forehead and a teenager's inability to think and act rationally. She expressed concern about teenagers and trains, which is not a good mix, and felt there would be injuries or worse if trains go by the high school, even if safety measures are added because kids are still kids. She stated that she did not think it was fair to overall education to have to stop and wait for trains to go by. She added that she loves St. Louis Park and loves Children First, and hoped that the City Council will continue to keep children safe. Mr. Thom Miller, 2900 Yosemite Avenue, stated that years ago when the original statutes were written making possible the interconnect on the south side of the City onto MNS, an easement was set aside and given to St. Louis Park; that property is needed for the interconnect to be built. He stated that the City can say no to giving up the easement rights to that property. He acknowledged that that might be politically difficult, but it can be done. He stated he wants residents to understand that this is leverage the City has and the whole easement was set up to work in favor of the City and the best interests of the City with a private entity like the railroad or a public entity like the County or Mn/DOT. He asked that the City Council use that leverage for those easement rights. City Council Meeting/Listening Session -11- April 28, 2011 Mr. Jim Mattison, 3017 Jersey Avenue, stated that he is supportive of light rail. He rhetorically asked whether this would still be an issue if the rail went past the high school and the Iron Triangle was not there. Ms. Helene Herbst, 2717 Alabama Avenue, stated that she has lived in the City since 1996 and was inspired to speak tonight. She stated she was working on her Master's Degree in Organization Leadership and one of her assignments was to write a paper about leadership in action. She explained that she heard about Vision St. Louis Park in the 1990's and collected videos and information about the Vision project and was very impressed with the meetings and the specific areas that were focused on, like housing and education. She stated that the reroute is more than just a train coming through and will impact the vision for the City and what it is going to be. She encouraged the City Council to keep in mind the ripple effects of the upcoming decisions as it relates to all those things the City has worked for years to build. She added that she has been impressed with the City's leadership and encouraged the City to have courage to do what it needs to do. Mayor Jacobs expressed the City Council's appreciation to everyone for attending. 4. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Nancy Stroth, City Clerk Jeff J co , Mayor