[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 10-22-08

[Bob Jaffe]

Greetings,

This morning we opened with a number of representatives from Montana
Rail Link at Public Safety giving a presentation about the safety
measures taken at the rail yard.  There are many things they do to
improve the safety of the line. Accidents have been reduced by 40% since
they implemented the remote control locomotives and switches.  They run
ultrasound tests of the tracks. They have guys walk the tracks looking
for defects. They have almost 100 different safety training programs for
their employees. 

I used to think the remote control locomotives were run from an office
somewhere like a video game. They are actually controlled by an engineer
standing on the ground next to the train. It is safer because the guy
can see the status of the track and switches and exact position of the
train better than when he is up in the locomotive. 

The bottom line is that they do everything they can but there is no
expectation of zero accidents. In fact, they told us that this morning a
train derailed up near plains and 18 cars of grain were on the ground.

At the end of the meeting a few neighbors spoke to what I thought were
very relevant issues. What can we do to reduce the noise and emissions
coming from the rail yard. How can the unused lots near the yard be made
more attractive.  There are a bunch of things MRL can do to be better
neighbors to the North Side. The MRL folks didn't actually say they
would do anything but they took notes and looked real interested in the
various suggestions. We will have them back soon to discuss some of
those issues.

 

In Conservation we had an update on the Milltown Dam removal. There was
an article in the Missoulian recently about sediment and arsenic levels
in the Clark Fork since the dam breach. Apparently the article was a bit
misleading. They presented all sorts of data on how the releases were
actually very much in line with the modeling and way below acceptable
levels.  Mountain Water had also expressed concern about the risk to the
aquifer but apparently that was based on fears created by the Missoulian
article. The University researchers came up with 80 ppm of arsenic. The
level acceptable to humans is something like 800. The feds measured less
than 5 ppm. We learned that the difference is that the U was measuring
the amount in the fine particles. We were told that measuring the fines
is a standard way of tracking trends and the presence of toxins since
the levels are elevated in the fines. 

The health people don't separate out the fines for measurement because
they are interested in actual exposure to humans. That is why they come
back with a much lower number.  

The Feds say it is safe so there is nothing to worry about. 

We are going to try to get them back at the same time we have the
University people there to make sure they all agree.

 

In PAZ we discussed three subdivisions. The first was just an extension
for the Wratislaw subdivision to file final plat. They want to wait out
the market for another year before committing to the development. This
is out on Short Street.

We spent the bulk of the meeting on the Stonybrook subdivision. There
were a number of issues to address. We hit a number of them but will try
to tackle the rest at the public hearing and when it comes back to
committee.  The big concern had to do with the flood plane. I thought
they did a satisfactory job showing that was not an issue. There are
also some ongoing concerns over stormwater drainage. The ground water is
only a few feet below the surface out there so the sump devices that
drain storm water potentially create a vector for pollution of the
aquifer. They are planning to use a design that looks like it will
probably be OK but I'm still concerned about that one.

There were a few more points we covered but we will have at least two
more opportunities to discuss this subdivision.

 

Our last PAZ item was the Hilton Subdivision splitting off the vacant
lot to the west of the Hilton Garden Inn. We only had about twenty
minutes to do the thing so we moved very quickly. We made a couple of
changes to the sidewalk configurations but otherwise it looked fine.

 

In A&F we agreed to allow an alternative method of bidding the project
to build a new parking structure downtown. The legislature recently gave
us permission to do these projects as design/build which allows them to
go much faster and in theory for less money. So instead of designing the
whole thing first and then getting a bid to build it, we pick a
contractor through and RFQ and then an RFP process. Once we have the
builder we work with them to design and construct the thing. 

It will be on the southeast corner of Front and Pattee. We are going to
try to build about 400 parking spots depending on the financing. The
structure will also have ground floor retail.

 

In Public Works we expanded the wastewater treatment boundary in Linda
Vista to include the portions of three lots in the Linda Vista Estates
subdivision that had parts of the lots outside the boundary.

After the meeting we also learned that the County Commissioners had
decided to reverse the decision of their attorney in regards to the
recently discovered right of way on Miller Creek. Now they say that it
was not included in the area we previously annexed and is still in their
jurisdiction. They had been given an out and punted on this earlier. I'm
a little worried as to why they changed their minds.

 

Thanks for your interest, 

 

 

Bob Jaffe

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