Merced eyes quiet zones on its railroads; moves to sell police HQ

The Merced City Council will discuss the possibility of quiet zones on railroads, and the city is moving on the purchase of its next police station during the Monday meeting.

Councilman Michael Belluomini requested the discussion on quiet zones, when conductors do not use their horns. It is routine for conductors to sound the horn between 15 and 20 seconds when approaching a public intersection, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St. A closed session is set at 5:30 p.m. to discuss litigation.

The roughly 4-mile stretch of BNSF railroad in Merced is crossed by eight roads used by cars, according to a report from Belluomini. The city’s general plan projects the city will see 60 train trips per day by 2030, he notes, compared with 40 today.

Belluomini estimates it will cost the city between $200,000 and $600,000 at each crossing to pay for extra arms, lights and other requirements for quiet zones.

Representatives of the Downtown Neighborhood Association have previously floated the idea, saying the horns are bothersome.

At the same meeting, city staffers are requesting an appropriation of $30,000 related to the police headquarters site at 669 E. Yosemite Ave., according to records. The funds would be used for an appraisal, general plan amendment and other services needed to prepare the property for sale.

The city had bought the Yosemite Avenue property to be its next police headquarters, but since has moved to locate the headquarters at 3033 G St., the Merced Sun-Star site.

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Merced eyes quiet zones on its railroads; moves to sell police HQ."