PALMER — The city’s historic railroad tracks running through downtown are an important part of Palmer history, even if they are used only once a year.

That was the message some residents brought to Palmer City Council at a recent meeting to discuss the future of the railroad tracks through the city.

“Don’t forget your history,” Palmer resident Cliff Salisbury said. “I’m asking you to keep the railroad because it’s a part of our history.” Preserving history was the recurring theme of residents who say Palmer wouldn’t be the same without the tracks.

“The railroad tracks, along with the depot and water tower, have been a big part of what we recognize as home,” said Dan Pollock, a Palmer resident.

Although important to Palmer’s history and character, others are concerned about problems the tracks create for the city.

Jaime Nichols is concerned about the trouble people in wheelchairs experience as they try to cross the tracks into downtown Palmer. Nichols suggested a mat be installed to cover gaps between the tracks and the surrounding asphalt to make it easier for wheelchairs to navigate the tracks.

Salisbury suggested another potential solution.

“I think the railroad engineering department could come up with a wedge-shaped, 16-foot-long thing that would fit [in the gap],” he said.

Bruce Carr, strategic planning director for the Alaska Railroad, which owns the tracks, understands the community’s concerns and said he hopes to work with the city to address them.

“I truly believe there’s a way of solving the immediate problem, which is people getting access across the tracks,” he said.

Wheelchair travel and safety are main concerns for residents, along with traffic congestion.

As a former school bus driver, Pollock understands the traffic problems caused when buses have to stop at the intersection of West Evergreen Street and South Colony Way for the tracks. Although one train a year travels through that intersection, buses must stop every time, each way. Pollock suggested an exemption for that intersection to allow buses to continue over the railroad without having to stop.

“To exempt a crossing is very serious business, especially when you start talking about conditioning people not to stop at a crossing,” Carr said.

An exemption would relieve some congestion, but could cause other problems, Carr said. Bus drivers have been trained to stop at all railroad crossings and any change to that training might have a negative impact on safety. While one bus driver may stop at an exempt crossing out of habit, another might continue through the crossing, which could confuse other drivers. Exempting any crossing could lead to accidents because drivers might expect buses to continue through the crossing. It could also condition bus drivers to not check adequately at that crossing in case an infrequent train may be traveling down that track.

Carr said the Alaska Railroad is willing to address problems with the help of the city and the public. While the railroad can do the work, the city would have to pay the railroad to do it. The railroad also would like to see more activity on the tracks through Palmer be more active.

“We’d like to run more traffic out here, but we can’t create that traffic,” Carr said.

Local businesses and entrepreneurs can create that traffic by helping develop a financially sound plan that will raise interest in a downtown train, Carr said.

Local residents and council members seem content knowing the railroad wants to keep the tracks in downtown Palmer.

“I think the [Alaska] Railroad is bending over backwards to accommodate Palmer and keep its history,” Salisbury said.