Feedback pours in on Washington railroad ideas

WASHINGTON — As the city seeks public input on infrastructure for a possible railroad quiet zone, Washington council members briefly discussed their preferences for potential crossing closures and safety improvements across town at a meeting Tuesday night.

Under a week after releasing a survey to the public, officials said they’d received 151 responses, split evenly between those in favor of a quiet zone and those against.

“We are getting a lot of responses, and lots and lots of comments.” City Administrator Deanna McCusker said.

Additionally, some residents have spoken with their council representatives in-person. During public comments at the meeting, Mike Levy, partial owner of Mose Levy Co., a business with two adjacent warehouses on opposite sides of the tracks, urged the city not to shut down crossings on North Marion or North Iowa Avenue.

Pitches have been made to close at least one of the two in an effort to improve trackside safety if the city implements a quiet zone.

“We’re on both sides of the tracks, and we receive somewhere between 200 and 300 semis a year, a road closing … it’s not going to run us out of business, but it’s going to be a problem,” he said. “We shuffle material between buildings with our trucks multiple times a day, and we have customers quite often pick up, who have to go to both buildings … so I think you can see the inconvenience it would cause.”

City council members plan to discuss and potentially act on proposed closures and safety improvements at their next meeting on March 7. McCusker said the quick timeline was prompted by the railroad, which offered to foot the bill on roughly $1 million in crossing guard improvements if the city closed three specific crossings, one of which was North Iowa.

Still, Council Member Bethany Glinsmann said that felt like jumping the gun. If the city closes a crossing, state regulators would typically bar it from opening unless two more closed in its place.

"I understand the railroad wants to know what we’re doing so that they can make their plans, but I also just have concerns about rushing into a decision,“ she said. ”I’d like to proceed with caution … I’m hesitant to go around changing something permanently when we may, as a community, change our opinion when the trains are actually here.“

As for which crossings the city might close, opinions are mixed. Most council members agreed that North Avenue F and C could be shuttered, on account of their low traffic and proximity to alternate routes.

Other options are more contentious, especially North Avenue D close to the Y, and both avenues around Mose Levy.

Some officials emphasized that they weren’t in favor of quiet zones, even if they’d approve some crossing closures and safety improvements. Council Member Elaine Moore said noise levels at railroad-adjacent houses were not a city responsibility.

“When you purchase a home next to the train tracks, you have to understand that you’re going to have trains,” she said. “If you don’t want whistles, and you don’t want trains, don’t purchase a house close to the tracks.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com