Quiet zone debate resurfaces at Ritzville City Council meeting

The Jan. 21 Ritzville City Council meeting started off on a familiar note, as the debate about designating the city as a quiet zone took center stage.

The topic of the quiet zone resurfaced after a group of residents wrote a letter to Mayor Gary Cook earlier this month that they asked to be read into the council minutes. In the letter--which was signed by E. Hank Buchmann, Rebecca S. Buchmann and Tracy M. Tremaine--the group asks that the quiet zone issue "be moved to the forefront of all Ritzville agendas."

"The railroad, though a valuable component to Ritzville's reputation, history and part...