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Session 1760 June 21, 1999 The changes incorporates underground construction at Skinker and at Big Bend, including both stations. The route will go underground west of Throop and east of Big Bend and continue westward towards the city limits at Forsyth. David Gray, 349 Westgate, is a disabled wheelchair user. He is concerned that MetroLink will be built without adequate accessible crossways to get over to Washington University. Wheelchair users can get their wheels stuck in the tracks. He urged the City Council to make sure that MetroLink is built with the ADA in mind. Joe Keaveny, 6219 Westminster Place, is the Parkview Agents President. He stated that the Parkview Agents and residents endorsed wholeheartedly the previous resolution that the Council passed in July of 1997. He does not understand why the Council wishes to change it now. He asked questions about the changes to the resolution which the Mayor answered. He wanted to make sure that the Council was well aware of the ramifications, especially safety related, in amending the resolution. Mayor Adams stated that it was becoming clear that East West Gateway was not going to honor our very rigi.d resolution. The Council felt it better to attempt to get the most possible for U. City, so he was sent in to negotiate. The highest priority was to have the biggest safety risks, the intersections at Big Bend and Skinker, even though Skinker is a St. Louis City concern, go underground. The alternative was the possibility that the entire route would be built on the surface. We attempted to address as many concerns as possible, knowing that we would not be able to make 100% of the affected residents happy. It was just impossible. Lee Benham, 6346 Waterman, stated that changing the resolution now and negotiating a final route with East West Gateway was not the best thing to do. With all the money involved with this project and the key position that University City holds, we should have held out a little longer and probably would have been able to get the entire thing underground. Better yet, we should spend the transportation dollars available to us to fix the traffic lights which would probably do more for improving traffic than MetroLink ever will. Dorothy Doyle, 6334 Pershing, stated that she had been involved very closely with the MetroLink issue since it will be in her backyard. She urged Council to take her and her neighbors seriously, since they are very knowledgeable and intimate with the entire process. She appreciates the courage that Council had exhibited by supporting the wishes of the neighborhoods in this matter. The previous resolution should not be changed. The public should have been notified of the changes and there should have been copies available of the changes. She appreciated University City Police Department Captain Fischer's statement that MetroLink will cause serious traffic problems with Washington 12