3 train crashes in 5 years has state considering lighted and gated railroad crossing at Stardust Drive in Elk Mound
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — After three train crashes in five years at Stardust Drive in Elk Mound, the latest of which this past December resulted in the death of the driver, the state Commissioner of Railroads is considering a lighted and gated railroad crossing.
Dan Vruwink, state railroad commissioner at the Office of Railroad Commissions, followed up on a December of 2023 crash at the railroad crossing and surveyed the crossing at 970th Street in March of 2024, said Elk Mound Police Chief Chad Weinberger at the Elk Mound Village Board’s January 20 meeting.
The recommendation from OCR engineering was for a lighted and gated crossing to be installed, he said.
The OCR cancelled the plan in June of 2024 because of a lack of funding, Police Chief Weinberger said.
The collision between an SUV and a train occurred at the railroad crossing on 970th Street at the intersection with U.S. Highway 12 in Elk Mound around 3:15 p.m. on December 12, 2024.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Department had reported that an SUV had collided with a Union Pacific train when the SUV failed to yield at the railroad crossing.
The driver of the SUV, Gregory Allen Nerbovig, age 80, of Eau Claire, died December 23 as a result of complications from injuries that he had sustained December 12.
Two juvenile passengers in the SUV were transported to an area hospital by private vehicle.
At the time of the collision, several people had noted in comments on Facebook that parents and grandparents picking up students from Mound View Elementary often use Stardust Drive/970th Street.
A road from the back parking lot at Mound View Elementary leads straight out to 970th Street. A right turn on 970th Street leads to the railroad crossing and back out to U.S. Highway 12.
Two additional collisions with trains also occurred at that railroad crossing in 2019 and 2023.
The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads will be putting the crossing back on the list for lights and gates at a cost to the state of about $400,000, Police Chief Weinberger told the Elk Mound Village Board.
There is limited funding, and only about nine railroad crossings are upgraded statewide each year, he said.
The railroad crossing on 970th Street may have to wait for four years for funding to be available, Police Chief Weinberger said.
The OCR budget has not increased since 2009, so in the past, more railroad crossings were able to be funded, he said.
The OCR reports that are more than 4,000 level grade railroad crossings, like the crossing on 970th Street, but only about 1800 are lighted and gated, the Police Chief said.
Currently the Elk Mound Police Department, the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, the State Patrol and Union Pacific Railroad Police are discussing enforcement details and public relations presentations, he said.
Driver errors, which cause a failure to stop at the stop sign at the railroad crossing, are a contributing factor to the crashes in 2019, 2023 and 2024, the police chief said.
Unusual case
The most unusual case for the Elk Mound Police Department in November was a contact from a teacher who inquired about raising 60 chickens on the school lawn, Police Chief Weinberger said.
Village ordinances only allow multiple chickens on properties that are zoned agricultural and not on property that is zoned for public facilities, he said.
Holly Avenue
The Dunn County Highway Department is considering making a four-way stop at the intersection with Holly Avenue (county Highway H) and Menomonie Street (U.S. Highway 12) in Elk Mound, Police Chief Weinberger said.
Dunn County also is considering installing roundabouts at some intersections in the county, he said.
In 2024, statewide there were 540 traffic crashes with fatalities. In Dunn County, there were 713 crashes resulting in three fatalities while 204 people were injured, the police chief said.
2024
In 2024, there were 1,319 calls for service in Elk Mound, while EMPD responded to 791, or more than half of the calls, Police Chief Weinberger said, noting that traffic issues are the top call type.
Ordinance issues, such as parking, unlicensed dogs or dogs at large, long grass, junk vehicles, and snow-covered sidewalks, are the second largest number of calls, followed by public relations, suspicions and records checks, he said.
Major cases, such as death investigations, assaults, burglaries, identity theft and internet fraud take up the most time to investigate, the police chief said.
In 2024, EMPD had 1,063 cases, Police Chief Weinberger reported.
Other incidents
The Elk Mound Police Department responded to other incidents over the past month as well:
• As of December 18, nine tree ordinance violations were in the process of being resolved. The village started out with 20 to 30, so the number is decreasing, the police chief said.
• On December 29 there was a domestic incident involving a gun being thrown into a toilet.
• On December 29, a suspect in thefts from Polk County and other crimes in Minnesota crashed in Elk Mound. The suspect later was taken into custody for reckless endangerment, fleeing/eluding an officer, and possession of marijuana. The suspect also is facing charges in Polk County and in St. Croix County.
• There were 15 calls about mental health issues in December. The holidays tend to make mental health issues worse, Police Chief Weinberger said.
Other business
In other business, the Elk Mound Village Board:
• Learned that Colfax Solid Waste & Recycling, after a motion approved at the Colfax Solid Waste & Recycling Committee meeting August 27, 2024, had authorized Terry Stamm and Lynn Niggemann to set the wages for attendants at the Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites, with a raise of up to $7 per hour. The following wages went into effect January 1, 2025: $19 per hour for starting or substitute collection site attendants; $20 per hour for substitute collection site attendants with experience; $21 per hour for collection site attendants handling recyclables and trash; $23 per hour for collection site attendants who had cash-handling duties; $25 per hour for the lead collection site attendants.
• Approved the location for the “fire danger” Smoky Bear sign by the village park near the new welcome signs.
• Approved changing the date for the February 17 meeting to February 10 at 6 p.m.
