Laserfiche WebLink
Railroad Memo <br />October 5, 2007 <br />Page 2 <br />The LOU establishes the basic business terms and responsibilities of each parry. The project includes <br />the following elements: <br />Butcher's Spur <br />The Butcher's Spur is located in the Northwest Quadrant and is slightly more than 7 acres in size. The <br />City is interested in acquiring this land for redevelopment purposes. Although most of the bona fide rail <br />customers are gone (i.e. Midwest Asphalt, Ferrellgas, rendering plants, etc.), Minnesota Commercial has <br />demanded that the City provide a functional replacement. In this instance, a functional replacement <br />would accommodate about 3 or 4 rail cars (300' to 400' of track) and related storage. There is sufficient <br />land within the Estes Express parcel at 400 1s' Street SW to provide for this activity. <br />Once the City has completed the acquisition of the land (October 2007) and the new track is installed <br />(July 2008), Minnesota Commercial will cease operations on the Butcher's Spur. The City and MT <br />Properties will then close on the sale of the land within 30 days of this date (estimated July 2008). In <br />addition, once the LOU is executed, the City can begin the formal abandonment process with the <br />Surface Transportation Board (STB) in Washington, D.C. The STB process will be started this fall and <br />completed some time in February 2008. The City's cost for this project is primarily related to land <br />acquisition (approximately $800,000) and the abandonment proceedings ($15,000 to $20,000). Funding <br />for the costs will be paid for out of the NWQ budget. <br />Under the terms of the LOU the City will pay MT Properties $3.35 for the net difference in land <br />between the Butcher's Spur and the Exchange Parcel (Estes Express site). Minnesota Commercial is <br />entitled to remove any tracks, ties or ballast before the date of closing, otherwise the City can salvage <br />the materials. <br />Functional Replacement (Team Track) <br />The functional replacement will be constructed on a portion of the 2 acre site that is being acquired from <br />Estes Express. Under the terms of the LOU this site is referred to as the Exchange Parcel. Minnesota <br />Commercial will contract with a third party to construct the track and perform related tasks, such as <br />grading, turnouts, ballast and grade crossings. The company has provided a bid for this work in the <br />amount of $174,000 and the City will reimburse them for the work after the project is completed. All of <br />these costs will be paid for out of the City's development fund (460). This work may proceed before the <br />wye track project, but should be completed by July 2008. <br />Southeast Wye Track <br />The final element of the project includes the new southeast wye track. This track will connect the <br />Minnesota Commercial mainline with the Canadian Pacific (CP) mainline. The CP has an operating <br />