Money has better use, official says

The railway would service a proposed landfill in Negley to dump construction and demolition debris.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- The train is coming, but one township official still says it is a waste of money that could be put to better use.
The Central Columbiana & amp; Pennsylvania Railroad, the former Youngstown & amp; Southern Railway, was purchased by the Columbiana Port Authority in January for $1.1 million from a Boardman company.
The idled railroad was purchased so it could be restored to provide freight services to businesses along its 36-mile route from Youngstown to Darlington, Pa.
Tracy Drake, port authority director, would not give a starting date, but said crews are checking the tracks daily and as soon as they say it is safe, trains will run.
Landfill link: Dan Slagle, Boardman Parks superintendent, said, however, that the railroad was losing money when it closed in 1995 and not much has changed since that time to suggest it will make money now.
One of the key factors in making the railway lucrative is the opening of a construction and demolition debris landfill in Negley, he continued. The state health department and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are reviewing a permit for the landfill.
The port authority secured grant money totaling between $500,000 and $850,000 from the Ohio Rail Development Commission for the line's rehabilitation. One stipulation to receiving the money was the opening of the landfill.
The port authority also must agree to prohibit trains longer than 40 cars and prohibit operation in the township between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. among other things to receive those funds.
With or without the landfill, Slagle said reopening the line is a bad idea. If the landfill opens, more landfills will eventually open in the Columbiana area, making it a dumping ground for trash from neighboring states and creating only low-paying jobs here, he said.
He added that the railroad will be bad for the Mahoning Valley area because of the cargo it might carry. The landfill, he said, is regulated by the county in which it is located, but the trains can carry a variety of trash and debris through neighboring areas.
Drake said the landfill is slated to take on 1,000 cars per year, but profits will be generated from businesses interested in using the train even if the landfill does not open. He added that concern about the landfill's opening is moot because he expects a license to be granted soon.
About users: Through the federal Freedom of Information Act, Slagle obtained copies of letters showing a few of the companies in consideration for railroad use.
One of those companies, through a letter to the ORDC, said it would not commit to becoming a rail shipper until a full feasibility study could be done. The letter said the company has not used railroads in nearly 50 years.
Another company's letter to the ORDC stated that it has not used railroads for shipping in many years because the rates are not competitive.
That company also would like a feasibility study conducted before committing, and would like the port authority to make upgrades to its railroad siting at an estimated cost of $40,000.
Drake said the port authority has worked closely with both companies, and one already has signed a contract to use the line once it is operational. The other is close to signing on as well.
Slagle feels the stretch of land taken up by rail traffic could be used for something better -- a community recreational trail.
Drake agrees that a walking trail would fit nicely in the area occupied by the tracks. That is why he has offered to look into constructing a path alongside the tracks.
Drake said placing a walking path next to an operating railroad is definitely possible and has been done in other areas.