Resident questions city's handling of old dairy site and rail crossings

During the open forum at the Oct. 20 Fergus Falls City Council meeting, resident Duane Cookman told council he had questions about the old dairy property and related railroad crossings.

Cookman said he had heard differing accounts about costs and about whether the city reimbursed the port authority roughly $1.2 million to acquire land for a trail. He asked the council to clarify acreage purchased; S1 responded that the city purchased about 11.6 acres from the port authority and that the $1.2 million was for land to accommodate the trail.

Cookman asked about railroad-crossing costs and whether the city had to close other crossings to secure new access. S1 explained the railroad's negotiation position often seeks closure of multiple crossings and that the city negotiated improvements to signals at South Union and Sheridan instead of closing crossings.

Cookman also raised whether a rail crossing near Passover Grove (and what he called the Autotel power plant line) could be closed or converted to a road; S1 said that line appears abandoned and could be closed, but doing so would still carry city costs to repurpose the crossing to roadway.

Cookman suggested the city might negotiate different terms and questioned whether better negotiators could have achieved different outcomes; council members explained railroad negotiations are complex and noted outside firms assisted the city.

The council did not take formal action on the public comment, but S1 and others clarified land acreage and the city's negotiated approach to crossings.