March 29, 2024

Quiet zone: Engineering firm will pay to extend medians

Veenstra & Kimm engineering firm will now pay in full.

The firm — which designed the safety improvement project in uptown Creston that included medians constructed on Elm Street and New York Avenue — ran into problems with city officials earlier this summer after it was discovered that the medians they designed were not constructed close enough to the railroad tracks.

The medians were anywhere from 10 inches to 4 feet short, depending on location, and that has prevented the city from applying to become a quiet zone with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

In July, Veenstra & Kimm had only agreed to pay half of the cost to extended the medians and fix the problems.

Last week, the firm sent an email to Mayor Warren Woods.

“We will cover costs for this repair/modification in hopes to keep on the best of terms with the city,” wrote Greg Roth with Veenstra & Kimm. “We appreciate all the city of Creston has done for us and hope for a long, continued relationship. Please keep us informed of the final costs as we hope they stay in the $6,800 or less range.”

City officials said in July the FRA would allow an 18-inch wide median to be used to gain the distance needed. Using the 18-inch wide median would cost about $7,000. Creston City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to let the engineering firm pay the $7,000 to extend the medians.

Roth said in July the reason the medians weren’t close enough to the tracks was because the stop-arm gates do not come down “square.” The gates are skewed toward the tracks. Roth said his firm will be more mindful that this can happen and will overplan the length of medians in the future so this doesn’t happen again.

Engineers said all other safety improvements are in place and scoring will be high enough with the FRA that the city will be able to move toward the final process to become a quiet zone.

Work to extend the medians will begin this fall.

In other city council news:

• The council approved the hire of Mandy McDowell-Beer as a full-time dispatcher at the law enforcement center. She replaces Bige Fienage who left his dispatcher position last month.

• The council approved a bid to seal coat approximately 40,000-square yards of city streets with work to begin this month. Councilman Dave Koets asked if the city received a better deal by doing chip seal later in the year. Koets said the city did his street too late one year and he ended up with half the rock in his yard because it didn’t stick to the road.

Kevin Kruse, city public works director, said it’s based on the blacktop company’s schedule and they often times don’t get to this part of the state until late summer or early fall.

• The council approved a request for temporary street closing for the ninth annual Balloon Days 5K organized by the Southern Prairie YMCA. That event will be 8 a.m. Sept. 19.

• Creston’s citywide trick-or-treat night will be 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.