The Bismarck City Commission will include Yegen Road in the Quiet Rail study, but whether it will be taken on as a project is an entirely different matter.

Commissioner Steve Schwab made the motion to add Yegen to the mix of intersections that will be studied in an effort to determine what must be done to make them safe enough that engineers don't have to blow train horns at crossings.

Commissioner Sandi Tabor questioned why the city would possibly want to include Yegen. There are no residential homes nearby and the only business that's close is a livestock yard. She even questioned whether the road was in the city.

But it was for the livestock yard that Schwab was making the request.

"When the whistle blows the cattle hit the fence and out they go," Schwab said. "I admit it's sort of an odd request and they could probably build a better fence, but I've seen cattle walk over a fence in the winter if the snow gets deep enough."

It was determined that the west half of each crossing on Yegen, of which there are two, are within city limits while the east side falls within the jurisdiction of Burleigh County.

The Quiet Rail is designed to protect pedestrians more than anything, Tabor explained and she wasn't sure it could be applied to a cattle.

But commissioner Dave Jensen was in favor of including Yegen. He said some day the area will be in the city and the study wasn't so much to protect the pedestrians as to keep the train horns from being blown.

"Just because a 100 years ago somebody passed a law that trains have to blow a horn at crossings … that makes no sense," Jensen argued.

Commissioners agreed that adding the crossing to the study for a modest amount was agreeable. They unanimously approved adding Yegen to the study.

"But I can tell you, when it comes to find how much it will cost to implement, we may very well be prioritizing a number of intersections and I am guessing this one won't be very high," commissioner Connie Sprynczynatyk said.

Some of the crossings, those in the downtown area, can be funded through the Renaissance Zone's tax increment fund. But additional crossings, such as at Fraine Barracks and east of 12th Street will have to come from some other source.

Tabor said the commission should soon discuss whether the issue should be on the June election ballot. City voters also will be asked whether sales tax revenues should be used to build a north side fire station.

New department

The Mandan park district has begun building its own accounting and human resources department, which for several years has been handled by the city.

The first step is for the park district to hire an accounting manager. District manager Cole Higlin interviewed three candidates this past week and hoped to make an offer to one of them by the week's end.

The district will then begin renovating some space at the Community Center for office space.

The park board did agree to participate in a job analysis survey, which the city also is undertaking. It will update job descriptions and look at salary structure. Cost of the analysis is $12,500.

The park board did have some discussion, though no action was taken, on the possibility of outsourcing the district's human resources and payroll to Avitus Group. Readers may remember that Avitus took over those duties for Morton County earlier this year.

Crying Hill donation

Pat Atkinson, who is offering to donate a portion of Crying Hill to the Mandan park district, sent me an e-mail after the story appeared this past week.

Atkinson is in Guatemala.

Atkinson maintains he bought the property three years ago with intentions of preserving it and keeping it open to public access.

"It is ridiculous to say that I want to donate it now to avoid any forthcoming special assessment taxes," Atkinson wrote.

Along with the southeast side hill, Atkinson says his private property also includes the land at the top of the hill. He also owns the land which has a large piece of the "forest" which spells out Mandan.

Atkinson appeared none too happy that the rocks spelling out Mandan, were painted white earlier this year without his permission. The M, A, N and half of the D are on his property. He also noted that the city has a water line, on his property, from which they watered the trees.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 701-250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)