City offers temporary parking lot for trucks
Asks truckers to stay off Grant Street
In an effort to strike even a temporary compromise regarding the truck route issue on Grant Street, Marion City Council asked all sides to comply to its wishes.
A more composed crowd than at a previous meeting, filled the council room Monday evening.
Following a 60-minute executive between the council, city attorney Dan Baldwin, city administrator David Mayfield, and for a short period of time, police chief Josh Whitwell, the council presented a temporary solution.
Councilman Gene Winkler stated that the council felt that its number one priority is to open up the railroad crossing on Burbridge Road.
Union Pacific Railroad had abruptly closed the crossing, eliminating an access for trucks to and from a truck parking lot on Grant Street.
"It was closed without our knowledge," Winkler continued. "We will try to negotiate with Union Pacific to open up the crossing."
In the meantime, the city asked truck drivers to not use Grant Street asking instead that they drop their trailers on Washington Street, north of the VFW.
Winkler said the city will haul rock and place it on two driveways where the trailers can be parked. Until the rock is hauled, the council asked that the trucks park their trailers on Washington Street.
"As a gesture of good faith, the city would like to work with Darryl (Brewer, truck parking lot owner) regarding his loss of revenue, for up to 90 days," Winkler said.
Baldwin said the city will review this issue with the railroad in 90 days but it could take longer.
Another reason to open up the railroad crossing is to allow farmers with equipment to have access to their fields, Winkler said.
"When will this take effect?" Darryl Brewer asked.
"We are appealing to the good graces of the guys driving the trucks," Baldwin said, but no tickets will be issued by local law enforcement.
"If drivers don't want to park at the pole pile (on Washington Street), we'll have to face that at the next council meeting," Baldwin said.
"We're also asking that the truckers work with us and not go down Grant Street. Darryl, you can drive down the street with the vehicles you have been driving."
Baldwin continued that the railroad should not have closed the Burbridge Street crossing the way it did and the city was going to do what it can to open it back up, which likely is going to take some improvements.
"We'd like to go 90 days here and get all of the animosity to quiet down," Baldwin said, "and solve the problem. That's our solution."
At a previous council meeting on March 3, it was revealed that the city had received an offer from Union Pacific as part of the negotiations of closing the crossing but the details of that offer have not been divulged.
Prior to the executive session for attorney-client privilege, Randy Bryant addressed the council during the open forum segment of the meeting. He said he lived on Grant Street for 25 years.
"Contrary to stories, it has not been a problem for me and my family regarding noise and trucks," Bryant said. "The trains make more noise than the trucks going in and out of there. I don't bother Darryl (Brewer) and he doesn't bother me."
Bryant said he requested that if trucks are allowed on the streets to have parking only on one side because parking on both sides of the street is a hazard for all drivers, not just the truck drivers.
"I've got two kids. One is starting to learn to ride a bike," Grant Street resident Scot Williams said. "I don't think it's going to work that well with trucks going up and down the street."
