May 6—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown City Council, in a 4-1 vote, approved an annual membership in the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to support a long-distance passenger rail route that could pass through Jamestown in the future.
Mayor Dwaine Heinrich and Councilmen Brian Kamlitz, David Schloegel and David Steele approved the membership, while Councilman Dan Buchanan opposed it at the Monday, May 6 meeting.
The City Council has not joined the High Speed Rail Alliance. Annual membership would cost $250 per year.
Annual membership in the High Speed Rail Alliance supports the creation of the former long-distance passenger rail route from Chicago to Seattle.
Steele said the High Speed Rail Alliance passenger rail route would not go through Jamestown.
An annual Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority membership will cost $2,000 per year.
Annual membership supports the planning and development of the long-distance passenger rail route from Chicago to Seattle.
Steele said Jamestown would be a stop on the rail route because it is a historic site.
“The goal is to have a seat at the table with the discussions that are taking place and continue to evolve,” Steele said.
In December, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $500,000 grant from its Corridor Identification and Development Program to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to restore passenger rail service on Amtrak’s North Coast Hiwatha Chicago to Seattle route. Amtrak’s Hiwatha North Shore passenger rail projects are overseen by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority.
Steele said the annual membership will allow the city of Jamestown to work with Amtrak and BNSF Railway Co. He said BNSF fully supports the project.
He said the association also assists with grant opportunities and grant application processes for rail-related projects. He said the city will need to work with Amtrak to create a ticket office.
“Some communities are looking at multipurpose buildings with restaurant possibilities,” he said.
Steele said grant opportunities could also be available for shuttle and taxi services to take passengers to and from the train station.
He also said the rail service would provide two daily round trips.
Buchanan asked about using other dollars to potentially pay for the annual subscription.
Heinrich said he visited the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. and that the city may have further discussions with the organization in the future.
At the Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee meeting in April, Heinrich said economic development dollars through the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. would help. could be used for members instead of general fund dollars.
The City Council unanimously approved a cost-sharing reimbursement agreement with the North Dakota State Water Commission for the lime sludge filter press and recycling and reuse project. Heinrich was also authorized to sign the agreement.
The agreement says the State Water Commission will provide the city of Jamestown a cost share not to exceed $749,550 to reimburse 60 percent of eligible costs incurred on the project.
The city of Jamestown is requesting participation in pre-construction costs for its lime sludge filter press and recycling and reuse project, according to a memo sent to the State Water Commission from Andrea Travnicek, director of the Department of Water Resources. of North Dakota.
The project includes the replacement of two lime sludge filter presses, construction of a new water storage tank to recycle filter backwash and filter press effluent, and an associated overflow pond, the memo says.
“Due to extended delivery times, the city has included the costs of purchasing the filter presses in this request,” Travnicek wrote in the memo.
Heinrich said the total cost of the project is more than $4 million.
“What we bid for was the lime press itself, that equipment,” he said. “So now we have to go back and rebid the entire project, including the installation and everything else. It is our hope and expectation that in the future we will receive an additional $2,449,200 from the SWC to help with the project.”
In other business, the City Council unanimously approved the renovation of three new Jamestown Police Department vehicles. It will cost more than $23,600 for the K-9 unit and about $12,000 for two other vehicles.
Scott Edinger, police chief, said there is some trade-in value to offset some of the costs.
