You may or may not have noticed, but it's a little quieter now in Staples.

As of August 25, all requirements have been met for Burlington Northern-Santa Fe trains to pass through the two crossings in Staples without blowing their warning whistles.

City Administrator Nate Mathews told the city counicl on August 25 that the city officially notified the railroad on August 4 that all crossing renovations had been completed. The railroad had 21 days to prepare the revised rules for train crews running through Staples.

That 21 day period ended Aug. 25, the same day as the council's regular fourth Tuesday meeting time.

In an ironic twist, Marty Etzler, Mayor Chris Etzler's father, was one of the first engineers to go through the crossing without sounding his warning horn.

"My dad called to tell me about it as he was going through town this morning," the mayor said two days after the council session. "The ironic thing about that is this is Dad's last trip as he is retiring. He's been going through town for 32 years blowing the whistle and on his last time through he doesn't have to."

Mayor Etzler was one of the city officials who worked to get the Quiet Zone crossings okayed. In addition to stop arms at both 6th and 7th Street crossings, the 6th Street center medians had to be extended slightly to ensure vehicles could not attempt to sneak around the arms.

There have still been train whistles in Staples. Not every train crew has been observing the Quiet Zone. Either the change has not filtered down to every crew or perhaps old habits are just tough to break.

The Staples City Council had a brief and not terribly weighty session August 25. The Staples City Council:

o APPROVED a request from Unity Bank to close Park Avenue from Fourth Street to the alley on Sept. 4 for their annual customer appreciation day.

o APPROVED the time of 7:05 p.m. Sept. 22 for a public hearing on proposed assessments for tarring fourth Avenue N.E. and 10th Street N. E. and also for the replacement of water service laterals on Fourth Avenue.

o APPROVED an increase in the Staples Community Center's Fitness Center membership rates beginning Sept. 1.

o ACKNOWLEDGED the city's volunteer fire department members chose to not turn in pay vouchers and not to receive payment for the hours they provided for the Peter Achermann search efforts in July.

o HEARD Administrator Mathews report that crews would be televising sanitary and storm sewer systems on Second Avenue and Fourth Street that week in advance of the turnback construction set for next year; that he had met with Bruce Berg, president of the Todd Wadena Electric board, and also had discussions with consultants involving long range plans for serving both the Minnesota Power territory as well as "... other parts of town we have the right to serve."

o APPROVED Resolution No. 1477 approving transmission service agreement (T-1) with Missouri River Energy Services and Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.

o APPROVED Resolution 1478 for a facilities lease agreement with Missouri River Energy Services and Wester Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.

o NOTED the next Highway 10 turnback meeting will come in November.

o SET 8 p.m. on Sept. 8 for the start of the next city council meeting. Normally starting at 7 p.m., this meeting cannot begin until 8 p.m. as there is the school revenue bond election. State law prohibits public bodies from meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on days of elections.