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REGULAR MEETING September 11, 2017
<br /> We've been given every unofficial indication that we can expect an approval of the measures
<br /> that have been installed, but, as with any federal process, we need it in writing in order for it to
<br /> take effect. Once it is issued in writing, then it goes to the train companies, who we hope will act
<br /> very expeditiously to silence the horns at those crossings based on the clearance they've gotten
<br /> from the Federal Rail Administration. I want to share just a little bit about what we know—
<br /> which is still incomplete—about how we got to this point.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, What we know is that in 2005 there was a window opened for three
<br /> (3) years for the City to install supplemental safety measures. We also know that in 2007 the City
<br /> received a letter from the Federal Rail Administration, effectively indicating that the City had the
<br /> quiet zones established. What's a little less clear is what the basis for that letter was. There are,
<br /> as we understand it, a couple of different ways you can meet the threshold for the quiet zones.
<br /> It's possible that an overall scoring of the City found it to be in compliance, even though it didn't
<br /> have all the supplemental safety measures installed. It's also possible that the Federal Rail
<br /> Administration authorities, when they wrote that letter, mistakenly believed that things were
<br /> installed that, in fact, were not. We then know that there was a letter in 2016—it was addressed
<br /> to Jeff Jankowski in the Legal Department. Mr. Jankoswki, of course, passed away in 2011, and
<br /> it's difficult to reconstruct some of the correspondence that may have happened between then
<br /> and now without being able to refer to him. But I know that there is a lot of public interest in this
<br /> issue and a sense of urgency, and so we have tried everything that we can to make sure that sense
<br /> of urgency is felt by the FRA. I spoke to them again this morning and, needless to say, the
<br /> moment that we receive any official communication that we got that authorization from the FRA,
<br /> we will make that public immediately.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, I know that there's also been some interest, more broadly, in quiet
<br /> zones because this concerns one (1) particular area, but we've been asked about what it would
<br /> take to extend quiet zones to other areas. So, in the budget that we're requesting the Council to
<br /> pass in the month of October, for the year 2018, we're going to request$120,000 for immediate
<br /> channelization—reviewing what it would take to establish quiet zones—and continue to research
<br /> what it would take to extend the area where those quiet zones can be put in place to more parts of
<br /> the City. I'm happy to do my best to answer any questions, and I've also asked Jitin from the
<br /> Department of Public Works to join in case any Councilmembers have any questions that prove a
<br /> little more technical than I am prepared to respond to. Is there anything we can do to help give a
<br /> sense—because I know Councilmembers are hearing about this quite a bit?
<br /> Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked, The supplemental measures that have been put in place,
<br /> but we feel will put us in compliance: total timeframe that it took to institute those, and the cost,
<br /> if somebody could give us a feel for that?
<br /> Jitin Kain, Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works, with offices on the 13th Floor of
<br /> the County-City Building, South Bend, IN, responded, Councilmember Jo Broden, the
<br /> channelization devices were installed in June, and since then we have been working with the
<br /> FRA on getting the quiet zone reestablished. The cost is something I can get back to you on. I
<br /> don't have the exact number with me right now, but I will make a note and I will get back to you
<br /> on the cost.
<br /> Councilmember Broden asked, And if I might just do one (1) other follow-up: turnover by death,
<br /> re-hiring, whatever—and I'm only asking this because we've been seeing this in a number of
<br /> different areas—but those active projects that staff is working on, is there a... These are things
<br /> that we don't miss when those transfers occur within staffing or administration—how are we
<br /> going to shore that kind of process up, I guess? This is certainly consequential.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg responded, One (1) thing that's important to us is to make sure anytime there's
<br /> any—whether it's a lateral move or promotion, or somebody departing the Administration,that
<br /> we make sure that there's a transition interview and an opportunity to get any kind of details.
<br /> One (1) thing we will be reviewing is what else we can do to document and put it in writing. I do
<br /> want to just clarify: I don't know, factually, of any indication that the turnover contributed in any
<br /> way to trains being sounded right now. What it does mean, obviously, is that we are having a
<br /> harder time reconstructing some of what's happened over the years because we can't speak to
<br /> one (1) of the people who was involved.
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