Quiet zone meeting gets heated

By Jeremy Burnham

The Journal

Ritzville - Every seat was filled and some residents stood as more than 30 people squeezed into City Hall for a public meeting on turning the city into a train quiet zone last Thursday.

The meeting was called for by Mayor Gary Cook, who said the purpose was to give everyone a chance to be heard.

"It gave me the opportunity to let people have their say," Cook told The Journal after the meeting.

Cook said he hoped the meeting would allow people to hear from the other side of the issue.

"There are groups that only want to see things one way because it's their agenda," Cook said. "I hate preconceived agendas. So, I wanted that fair cross-section of the public to be able to talk."

While recent surveys show that respondents support the quiet zone by a margin of almost 2-1, opinions on the matter were greatly divided.

While those supporting the quiet zone still appeared to be in the majority (exact numbers couldn't be tracked because there was no poll taken and not everyone spoke), a very vocal group of opponents was in attendance.

The format of the meeting was informal and allowed for some back-and-forth discussion between attendees.

The quiet-zone issue has been a topic of several city council meetings over the past several months. City Councillor Dennis Chamberlain has been a constant supporter of the idea.

Current regulations regarding trail whistles and the noise they produce were established in 2005 with the Federal Railroad Administration's Train Horn Rule.

Under the rule, locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns at least 15 seconds-and no more than 20 seconds-in advance of all public grade crossings. The horns must be sounded in a standardized pattern of two long blasts, one short blast and then one more long blast. The pattern must be repeated or prolonged until the lead locomotive or lead cab car occupies the grade crossing.

The rule also requires the volume of the whistle to be between 96 and 110 decibels. According to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at Yale University, the level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss is 80-90 decibels.

The Train Horn Rule does provide an opportunity for local governments in the United States to establish so-called quiet zones. Doing so would require installing additional safety measures. One such measure could be installing medians on one or both sides of the tracks to prevent a motorist from driving around a lowered gate.

Thursday's public meeting got heated at moments. One of the first points residents in favor of a quiet zone stressed was to clarify what a quiet zone would, and would not, mean.

A quiet zone would mean that an engineer would not be required to sound the whistle at every crossing. It would not, however, forbid an engineer from doing so. If someone is on or close to the tracks, or if any other potentially dangerous circumstance occurs in the opinion of the engineer, he or she would be able to sound the whistle. Under the quiet zone rules, the decision of whether or not to sound the whistle would solely be up to the engineer.

The pro-quiet zone attendees kept returning to this point whenever opponents accused them of being willing to sacrifice safety for comfort.

Nevertheless, critics of the proposal kept pounding the safety issue.

"What you're trying to do is about one issue: noise," one attendee said. "Noise in place of safety."

"You're subtracting safety and someone's life because you don't want to listen to the [expletive] train," another said. "I'm sick and tired of it."

Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt opposes the quiet zone. Hunt attended the meeting not as the auditor, but as a concerned citizen.

"I have lived in Ritzville my entire life," Hunt said. "My home is on Broadway. It's loud there. I hear the noise of the trains. I feel the vibrations. It woke my babies when they were napping when they were young ... But you know what? It's all worth it to me. I lost two friends, when I was in high school, who were struck by trains ... I'll never get those friends back ... I'll take every bit of noise if it will provide some safety."

Supporters of the quiet zone pushed back.

"When there are people on the track, they will blow the whistles anyway," said one supporter. "We can't stop them from doing that."

Chamberlain reminded the room of the additional safety procedures that would take place in a safety zone.

"We will actually have to increase safety to get this done," Chamberlain said.

Other issues brought up by quiet zone opponents included additional insurance-related costs involved in becoming a quiet zone.

An alternative to the quiet zone was also presented. One attendee suggested finding out whether the city could take steps to lower the volume of the whistles to below the point of hearing loss, rather than allow engineers to cease sounding them at all.

Cook said he had hoped suggestions like that would come from the meeting.

"It provided guidance on how to move forward," Cook said. "And some options came out of it that I didn't realize. Like the idea of being able to turn the volume down. I didn't know that existed."

Lots of questions were asked regarding insurance, which safety measures would be utilized, the effects these measures would have on local industry and several other topics. Many of the questions went unanswered.

Adams County Economic Development Director Stephen McFadden suggested that before moving forward with anything, a meeting should take place with people present who are able to answer these questions.

"You need the Federal Railroad Administration and Burlington Northern Santa Fe to sit in this room to be able to actually ask and answer the factual questions for everyone in this room," McFadden said. "Because the cost of liability insurance transfers, by federal law, from the railroad to the City of Ritzville if you choose to implement these quiet zones."

He also said the notion of the city possibly having to give up one of its crossings to satisfy safety requirements has to be carefully considered.

"I truly would encourage you to bring in those entities that absolutely know what it takes and how it must be done," McFadden said. "Put them in the room so that all these people can ask them."

Cook agreed with some of McFadden's suggestions but said the public meeting was an important first step.

"Truthfully, [I haven't talked] with the FRA or with Burlington Northern," Cook said. "I haven't gone there yet. Steve McFadden pointed out that we really need to do that as a next step. I am totally in agreement with that. But I wanted this first ... Community involvement is an important part of this."

Cook says the next step being taken is a sound study being conducted in March. He says everyone's comments at the meeting will be compiled and considered as the council decides what to do next.