From Press, Staff Reports

CARROLLTON - A Jackson attorney is talking to local officials about converting the 90-mile stretch of the Columbus & Greenville Railway from Greenwood to West Point into a modern bike, horse and walking path.

Wilson Carroll has spoken to the Greenwood City Council. He will present the proposal to the Leflore County Board of Supervisors in February.

The city of Winona and Montgomery County already have signed on to the proposal.

Carroll recently spoke to a meeting of Citizens for Equitable Taxes Inc. at the Community House in Carrollton.

First, he told the group, the line is in dilapidated condition.

"There's been no traffic on the line for several years. The track is in terrible condition with many trestles needing to be replaced," he said.

Carroll said he spoke with Roger Bell, president of the railway, about plans for the rail line, which would cost between $35 million and $55 million to restore to working condition.

"They can't justify that kind of investment. They can't spend that amount of money to put the railroad back in service," he said.

While C&G wants to run freight on the line, there's no money for the infrastructure improvements needed to bring that about.

The railroad is currently paying more than $100,000 in ad valorem taxes on the rail line. In addition, the railroad is facing liability exposure on the line, Carroll said.

That's where Rails to Trails comes in. The federal program was started about 15 to 20 years ago, Carroll said, and is designed to convert unused rail lines to alternative uses, such as bike trails.

"The idea was it was not a good idea to lose these corridors. Even though it may not be possible right now, you never know what's going to happen five, 10 years down the road," he said.

Carroll said there's about a 15- to 18-month window of opportunity for counties and cities along the rail route to create a Rail/Trail Recreational District.

That district would impose a quarter mill property tax assessment to cover maintenance and upkeep. Carroll said that would amount add $2.50 to the property taxes on a $100,000 house.

Previous Efforts,

Feasibility Study

Efforts to form a recreation district for the same purpose were initiated in Webster County about six years ago. In 2003, the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program selected the county and the Webster County Development Council to receive planning and technical assistance in developing the proposed "Central Mississippi Rails-to-Trails Recreation District."

That same year, Steve Anderson, then-executive director of the WCDC, requested that county supervisors pass a resolution to form such a district. They took his request under advisement but that board nor the current one ever took any further action. The previous board expressed concerns about maintenance and associated costs if the decision was ever made to actually convert the railway to a trail.

In 2006, the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded the Development Council a grant to study the feasibility of revitalizing the railroad. The study group from Mississippi State presented a final report last summer at a meeting in Eupora.

Cynthia Wilson, current WCDC director, stated in a Jan. 22 report, "We are moving forward on this project and will be having a steering committee meeting within the next month to begin the process of establishing the regional rail authority."

Federal Match

Under the Federal Transportation Enhancement Act, uses such as a bike trail would qualify for a 4-to-1 federal match, meaning that for every $1 raised by the district, the federal government would provide $4, he said.

Carroll said the Longleaf Trail, which runs 40 miles from Hattiesburg to Prentiss, generates $4.8 million in direct economic impact. Once that money turns over in the communities along the trail, the benefit might be as high as $30 million.

State Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona, said the proposal should be carefully looked at, especially its impact on tourism.

"Places have been preserved here that people all over the country are interesting in seeing," she said.

The C&G Railroad provides rail service to communities and industry in north central Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta. It was originally founded in 1878 of the Greenville, Columbus and Birmingham Railroad. C&G began operations in 1975.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.