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<br />residents about how loud the horns are. He stated that he feels it is ironic that the railroad system <br />needs to blow horns in addition to the lights at the intersections. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson stated that the railroad system is a dual system providing warning with <br />both lights and sound. She shared a story about a time when her daughters were driving home <br />and the railroad arms malfunctioned, so the first indication they had of the oncoming train was <br />hearing the horn. She stated that because of this, she is a little nervous about having a quiet <br />zone. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked about the process for approval and asked if the City gets approval <br />before it invests in the improvements. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson stated that actually the improvements are made and then you apply <br />for quiet zone status. He stated that their website has design criteria guidelines that you can enter <br />information and it will tell you if you will be successful in your application, but noted that this <br />isn't official approval. He stated that since 2004, they have allowed the use of this calculator on <br />their website to determine eligibility. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that the approval process appears to be somewhat subjective and <br />wonders with the recent jury award of $24 million to those families, whether that will increase or <br />decrease our chances of gaining the quiet zone designation. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson stated that the ability to get the designation is pretty cut in stone <br />and thinks that there is no question that the City can get quiet zones for Sunfish Lake Boulevard, <br />Ramsey Boulevard and Armstrong Boulevard, the question is on the intersections at Alpine and <br />Jarvis and whether the City should try to move ahead with the upgrades. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that following up on Councilmember Look's comment, the <br />railroad could change their policies in light of the recent court case. He stated that they could <br />just change it to say that they will always blow their whistle and the City wouldn't have any <br />control over it. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson stated that the City can discuss upgrade options for Jarvis with Elk <br />River to see if there are any costs that could be shared. He stated that they will put these options <br />on the CIP for future discussion. <br /> <br />MAYOR, COUNCIL AND STAFF INPUT <br /> <br />None <br /> <br />ADJOURNMENT <br /> <br />The Work Session of the City Council was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / June 24, 2008 <br />Page 5 of6 <br />