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<br />Councilmember Elvig stated that originally, the best spot for a station was thought to be near the <br />Anoka Technical College, but Ramsey did not push very hard for it at the time and the station <br />went over into Anoka. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked where the rail stops were located and whether it would make sense <br />to see how it works before asking to be added to the system. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that there are stations in Big Lake, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley. He <br />stated that a lot of work needs to be done, such as a feasibility study, before the City could get a <br />station. He stated that it is a very long process and if the City doesn't start now, it could be 2012 <br />before the City has a station. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that the proposal is to lobby for 4 or 5 months at a cost of about <br />$5,000 per month. He asked why the lobbying efforts would stop after 5 months. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that in most cases, the feasibility study, the forecast of ridership and costs <br />will be completed in that time frame. He noted that a big positive is that the City already has a <br />parking ramp in place. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that she didn't think that the City's intent was to put in effort <br />for 5 months and then stop, but for it to just get us started. She stated that the City has always <br />stated that having a rail stop is part of our plan, so she feels the City needs to get the ball rolling. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked why the City removed its request to be included if it is so <br />important. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that the City was told that it could jeopardize the funding and were told by <br />some officials to stay out of it and not push for a station. He stated that there was a fear of a <br />fight between Anoka and Ramsey that could delay the whole project. He stated that Ramsey got <br />bus service, so the City agreed to hold off so no funding was jeopardized. He stated that <br />basically it was a political thing. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that he thought the package was sold to the federal government that <br />there would be "x" amount of time between stations and putting in another station would stop <br />them from meeting their schedules. He stated that he understands our option now is to lobby Jim <br />Oberstar for an exception. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that first the City needs to go before the Northstar Development Authority <br />with the request. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that he feels the demographics of the City have changed <br />significantly since the first ridership information was gathered and feels the new numbers will <br />prove the worth of having a station in the city. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / January 8,2008 <br />Page 2 of3 <br />