HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 06-2001 RESOLUTION NO. 06-01
A RESOLUTION RECONIMENDING APPROVAL OF TI�B-4A BYPASS
TO TI� SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD.
WHEREAS, The Brookings City Council desires to do what is best for the City of
Brookings.
WHEREAS, The City of Brookings with a population of 17,200 is one of the largest
urban areas in the State of South Dakota. It is located on Interstate 29 and U. S. Highway 14
and is an important educational, health care, business/economic and recreational resource for this
region.
WHEREAS, Brookings is surrounded by a large agricultural area with land devoted to
raising field crops—corn, wheat, soybeans—and providing animal pasture. It was established and
grew initially as a supply and marketing center for this agricultural activity.
WHEREAS, Mid-sized cities such as Brookings play an e�remely important role in the
effort to achieve economic diversity for South Dakota. Mid-sized cities are able to provide the
workforce, housing, education institutions and social, recreational and cultural amenities
necessary to attract industry and commerce and enable it to survive. Brookings and others like it
have e�sting infrastructure{roads, wastewater facilities, airports, etc.) necessary to provide
services for these businesses and their employees.
WHEREAS, Brookings has grown at the rate of 7% in the last 10 years. It is predicted
that the City will continue to grow in the next decade by appro�mately 10%.
WHEREAS, Like other mid-sized urban concentrations on the Northern Plains area,
Brookings though attractive as a location for new industry and an important part of the State of
South Dakota's future economy is a relatively fragile/vulnerable urban place. The urban area is
relatively small and concentrated. Its layout is much like it was around the turn of the Twentieth
Century; the commerciaVgovernmental area is situated in the center and is sunounded by compact
layers of business, housing, schools, etc. Industrial use is primarily located on the east and west
edges of the City.
WHEREAS, Brookings has found over the years that land uses with adverse impacts on
its residential population can have a disproportionate quantitative and qualitative impact on the
City's livability. Use changes and impacts affect the City a great deal because of its limited size
and tight pattern of development. The place where these impact uses are located is extremely
important to the City's existing residents and its future development.
WHEREAS, For this reason, land uses having the potential to cause major adverse
impacts have been historically located outside of town or on the outer fringe of the urban center
to avoid hurting the existing urban area and to preserve the quality of life in the City. Examples
of these uses which have been placed on the perimeter include: the Industrial parks, landfill and
the Highway 14 bypass.
WHEREAS, Residents and businesses in the City of Brookings have examined, analyzed
and discussed the coal train and the impacts from various alternative routes, for three years.
Widespread publicity and discussion have occurred during this period, and the views of residents
and businesses are well known though not loudly expressed.
WHEREAS, Among other activities, the City Council met with the DM&E in an attempt
to negotiate a Community Partnership Agreement and developed and reviewed two specific
bypass alternatives, and many other suggested routes, studied and examined the impacts from the
alternative rail routing alignments, reviewed the DEIS and the extensive analytical material,
attended hearings, held meetings, traveled to, observed and confened with residents of other
cities impacted by coal train routes and analyzed financial costs, opportunities and impacts related
to the funding of a bypass.
Based on the above, the Council of the City of Brookings hereby adopts the following
findings, conclusions and recommendation.
1. DM&E coal train will provide an overall benefit for the State of South Dakota and to the
City of Brookings and as a result, the construction of the new line from the Powder River
Basin to the Mississippi River is strongly supported.
2. DM&E coal train will result in a major change in rail travel at the City of Brookings. The
number of trains passing through the City daily will increase from four to potentially forty
(1,000%). Brookings has never had a large volume of through train traffic and was not
built around or to accommodate a train system.
3. Routing the DM&E coal train on the e�sting rail alignment through the City regardless of
the type, nature and amount of mitigation incorporated will have the following significant
adverse impacts on the City:
• The increased rail traffic would af�ect in some way 60% of Brookings County's
population.
• The additional rail traffic would increase the exposure index at major urban
intersections to a level where grade separations should be considered where
feasible.
• The ability of emergency vehicles to get to various parts of the City would be
compromised unless grade separations were provided at key locations.
• The increased noise and vibration and decrease in air quality would have a negative
impact on property values adjacent to the e}usting alignment.
• Three highly utilized pedestrian crossings in the City of Brookings would have to
be mitigated to minimize significant safety concerns.
• Service to existing customers would be more difficult and less timely.
• Future growth south of the tracks in Brookings might be negatively impacted.
• If grade separations are constructed where justified by exposure index values or
sound impacts, several property owners would have to be relocated, streets would
have to be closed and new entrances to several businesses would have to be
identified and constructed.
• Increased rail traffic would cause considerable delay and general traf�ic
interruption for the traveling public.
• Additional right of way may need to be acquired to construct any future passing
sidings.
• Numerous property owners would be negatively affected by construction activities
that would occur essentially in their back yards.
4. The City of Brookings has carefully evaluated Alternative B-4 as set forth in the DEIS.
While Alternative B-4 as set forth in the DEIS remains a preferred alternative when
compared with Alternative B-2, the City has developed a variation of Alternative B-4
which is Brookings' preferred alternative alignment. Because of its similarity to the
Alternative B-4 alignment it is refened to as Alternative B-4A. Routing DM&E coal
train on the proposed B-4A bypass adjacent to the Highway 14 bypass to the north of the
City will avoid adverse impacts of Alternative B-2 and could result in beneficial impacts
for both the land in this area and the City and County of Brookings. Among other
potential beneficial impacts are the following:
• The proposed bypass affects only a few property owners in comparison to the in-
city route.
• The proposed route would bypass 60% of Brookings County's population.
• The proposed bypass would eliminate large increases in train traffic at urban
intersections with high average daily traffic counts.
• Improved safety for pedestrians and drivers would be possible if the coal train
traffic was bypassed.
• There would be no appreciable change in train noise and air quality along the
current railroad alignment.
• The ability of emergency vehicles to get to various parts of the City would not be
negatively affected with the bypass.
• There should be no appreciable negative economic impact on property values of
the many homeowners adjacent to the e�sting railroad alignment. All through rail
traffic is bypassed.
• The concern over increased vibration and potential structural damage to building
foundations along the current route would be negated with a bypass.
• Construction on new trackage for the proposed coal train traffic would be easier
along the new route compared to upgrading the existing route under traffic.
• The wider right of way width on the bypass would lend itself better to future
bypass siding construction.
• Land for wetland mitigation along the proposed bypass would be donated by a
local landowner.
• The bypass would eliminate the need to fully mitigate the hazards associated with
three highly utilized pedestrian crossings in the City of Brookings.
• Current traffic interruptions in Brookings from train passage would not change
with the proposed bypass.
• Future growth south of the current tracks in Brookings would not be negatively
impacted with a bypass as proposed.
• No additional property would have to be acquired within the City if a bypass was
constructed.
• The construction of the proposed bypass could create business opportunities for
DM&E in the form of future industrial expansion in the Brookings area.
• A bypass would allow the coal trains to maintain higher speeds than normally
possible through urban areas.
5. The establishment of the Highway 14 bypass on the north side of the City some 25 years
ago, is proof of the benefit to all of creating a major transportation corridor bypass to
avoid adverse impacts and to benefit the use.
6. The socio-economic cost of routing the coal train through the City dramatically exceeds
the socio-economic cost of routing the coal train on a bypass north of the City.
7. The financial costs incurred by the DM&E for reconstructing the in-city route and
associated mitigation features under any scenario will most certainly exceed the total costs
of constructing the bypass and related mitigation. Indeed, the e�enditure of$34 million
of probable costs of mitigation under Alternative B-2 will not assure acceptable mitigation
of the adverse impacts of Alternative B-2.
8. The City in recognition of the importance of constructing the bypass and preserving access
and service to local shippers has previously offered $4 million to this effort and is willing
to do whatever else it can to preserve service to local shippers and facilitate the selection,
development, funding and utilization of the bypass route for the DM&E coal train.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings thanks Governor
William J. 7anklow for his leadership in submitting and supporting the Brookings Bypass
Proposal.
FLJRTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings thanks the Section of the
Environmental Analysis(SEA) of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for identifying the
Brookings Alternative B-4 of the DEIS (Decision No. 31225) as the preferred alternative.
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings will work to support
Alternative B-4A or any alignment associated with Alternative B-4.
FURT'HER BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings expresses financial support for
Alternative B-4A or any alignment associated with Alternative B-4.
FURTI�R BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings, in recognition of the
importance of constructing the bypass, has offered financial support of$4 million to construct the
Bypass, which includes financial support to preserve access and service to local shippers.
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Brookings recommends that the STB
approve and order the B-4A Bypass as described in the"Supplemental Discussion and Impact
Assessment of Bypass Variation at Brookings, South Dakota".
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Brookings seeks direction from the SEA/STB with
regard to all appropriate issues raised above.
Passed and approved this 27�`day of February 2001.
CITY OF OKINGS
ayor U r '1 H. Hem
ATTEST:
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