Train track commotion an issue at Spokane Valley workshop

Thu., Feb. 19, 2015

By Pia Hallenberg piah@spokesman.com (509) 459-5427

City Hall construction update

Spokane Valley will construct a new city hall at a cost of $14.4 million on property purchased for $1.1 million. It will be located on the northwest corner of what is currently the University City Mall.

Mark Calhoun, Spokane Valley finance and administrative services director, told the City Council on Tuesday that $5.2 million of the cost will come from the capital improvement fund. “That leaves $8.9 million that we will have to come up with through a bond issue,” Calhoun said.

City Manager Mike Jackson reminded the council that a project of this size may bring unforeseen costs, which prompted council member Chuck Hafner to point out that it’s important to hold on to the reserve fund.

Calhoun expects to update the council on how much cash the city will have on hand for the project by June.

Cheri Ann Kelley says she’s exhausted by train whistles.

“Sometimes you can’t hear your TV when they go by,” said Kelley, who lives near Woodard Elementary School off Park Road four blocks from train tracks. “And sleep deprivation is a big issue. I’m not letting go of this.”

At the urging of Kelley, the Spokane Valley City Council and other city officials discussed the issue of so-called railroad quiet zones at length on Tuesday during the city’s winter workshop. The agenda was crammed full of Valley issues, including economic development, the construction of a new city hall and historic preservation.

Kelley and a neighbor asked Spokane Valley for more quite zones in 2011, but nothing’s changed.

“The Valley dropped the ball on this issue,” said Kelley in an interview earlier this year.

There are 17 railroad crossings in Spokane Valley and two in Millwood, said Mark Calhoun, Spokane Valley finance and administrative services director, explaining that the issue was tabled in 2011 when the City Council decided not to pay for a $83,000 contract to study the crossings and potential quiet zones.

A private person cannot petition the railroad – in this case Burlington Northern and Santa Fe – for a quiet zone. Only the city can do so.

Council member Chuck Hafner said a study and potential improvements at railroad crossings is a very expensive undertaking.

“We may not be able to do that and fulfill our other obligations,” Hafner said.

Deputy Mayor Arne Woodard agreed, and said a quiet zone isn’t a guarantee the train conductor won’t blow the horn.

Mayor Dean Grafos encouraged everyone to look at the bigger picture – including 130 oil trains that may soon be traveling through the Spokane area.

“It’s a terrible situation for our community,” Grafos said, referring to an oil train derailment and fire earlier in the day in West Virginia. Grafos said railroad issues should be addressed in the comprehensive plan which is currently being updated.

That concerned city council member Ed Pace.

“I hope we don’t become the city that tries to slow down commerce by keeping the trains in check,” Pace said. “We shouldn’t become a bottleneck for trains or trucks or anything else.”