Th Quiet Zone Committee is seeking additional members to help them find all the facts necessary so Council can decide if they want to move forward establishing a railroad quiet zone in town.
The Committee’s president Jim Stacey came to Council last week asking permission to expand the group from four members to six or seven members, citing both the need for additional people to quickly get the research completed, as well as a better ability to obtain a quorum.
Stacey said one member of the group has not been very active, and, due to other scheduling issues, that lack of participation has recently made it difficult for the group to meet.
Council approved the request, and the application is available both at City Hall and on the City’s website. The application time is open until November 15. The application can be found here.
The issue has raised concerns both for and against a quiet zone. Those against the zone have cited safety concerns, a believed large price tag, and that it is only for the benefit of special interest individuals. Those is support of the zone have said train noise is the number one complaint by visitors to the City as they are unable to sleep at the bed and breakfasts and hotels due to the noise.
A Quiet Zone is when a train is not allowed, by default, to blow their whistle at railroad crossings in a specific area. The train engineer however, can still blow the horn if they feel it is needed.
Approximately 55-60 trains come through Jefferson daily, and sound their horns three times at each of 17 different crossings.
The Committee was tasked by City Council to gather factual data about Quiet Zones, their costs, potential cost to the City, etc., and report back to Council. They were not given a deadline to complete the task. The Committee currently has four members.
The Committee has a Town Hall scheduled for 5p November 2 to update Council and the community on their findings so far.