In a divided vote, the East Grand Forks City Council opted to keep a railroad crossing open and live with the train whistles through an area just east of downtown.
The vote was 4-3 to keep the Central Avenue crossing open. If it was closed, Burlington Northern Sante Fe promised a quiet zone through the four-block stretch that runs east of Sacred Heart School. With cars being able to pass through it, BNSF instead will put up flashing lights and crossing arms on Central Avenue.
"Whenever you make a dead-end street, you depreciate the values of the surrounding properties," council member Henry Tweten said.
Joining Tweten were Wayne Gregoire, Greg Leigh and Dick Grassel. On the losing side were Craig Buckalew, Mike Pokrzywinski and Marc Demers. Mayor Lynn Stauss also sided with the majority, but votes only if there's a tie.
One crossing neighborhood homeowner -- Dale Helms -- lobbied for the quiet zone while another -- Dawn Jenkins -- wanted the crossing to remain open. But council members said they heard from more residents of the neighborhood who preferred keeping it open. Sacred Heart also wanted the status quo.
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"By closing Central Avenue and directing more cars in the Sacred Heart direction, it could be a danger," Stauss said. "Looking at the big picture, I think it's better to keep it open."
Buckalew said closing the crossing would mean more safety because it would funnel more traffic to Second Street.
Salary kickbacks
In other action, Demers and Buckalew gave back some of their City Council pay.
Each said they will return $100 of their $500 monthly salary to city coffers. The donation resulted from a November debate when Demers sought $100 monthly pay cuts to help with the tough budgetary times.
The proposal earned only two votes in November after it was noted that a $100 cut would return council salaries to a 1986 level.
Reach Bakken at (701) 780-1125; (800) 477-6572, ext. 125; or send e-mail to rbakken@gfherald.com .
