Fate of local rail line, business, yet to be decided

As a town originally built around the railroad, much of the history of the present-day city rests on the rail line that runs through it. But it’s becoming apparent that the future of High Springs, maybe even more so than its past, is invested in the local rail system.

As reported first in Alachua County Today, over the past several weeks, local officials from both the city and Alachua County governments have been writing letters and making phone calls to ask for help and look for possible solutions to save the rail.

An ongoing effort to retain and expand the local branch of a national piping manufacturer, Prime Conduit, sparked the rail crusade.

The Council for Economic Outreach at the Greater Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, which is heading the Prime Conduit project, discovered that the viability of an expansion at the High Springs location is solely dependant on whether the rail remains operational.

The problem is the 14 miles of rail, running from Newberry through Crystal River, are in need of about $500,000 worth of repairs, according to David Ramsey, from the Council for Economic Outreach.

Ramsey said the rail does not bring in enough revenue for its owner, Florida Northern Railroad, part of A Pinsly Company, to be able to afford the repairs.

This is why the Council for Economic Outreach, the High Springs City Commission and the Alachua County Commission are all working to find a way, or ways, to help fund the repairs.

Prime Conduit is one of several area businesses that depend on the rail for shipping. And as both City Manager Jim Drumm and Mayor Bill Coughlin previously pointed out, the rail would continue to serve as an asset to the community when it comes to attracting new business to the area.

Following a June 3 joint meeting of the city and county commissions, a letter was sent to inform the Florida Department of Transportation of the need for funds and to inquire about the availability of specific money from a previous project that fell through.

Ramsey said they’re still waiting for a response to the letter, and he hopes to have more solid news to share in the next week or two.

“We’re still in the process of working with the department of transportation and with elected officials to garner support and find options,” he said.

County Commissioner Lee Pinkoson said Congresswoman Corinne Brown, the U.S. House representative of the third congressional district of Florida, was also contacted concerning the issue.

Brown’s staff was not yet able to comment on the matter, but said she is aware of the situation and is also looking into options. Brown is involved with the Committee for Transportation and Infrastructure, and she is chair of the subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Pinkoson also mentioned the possibility of applying for a TIGER Discretionary Grant. TIGER stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, and the funding for these grants, comes from the American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Ramsey explained that the minimum award from a TIGER Grant is $10 million, and this project only calls for about one tenth of that. But the Council for Economic Outreach is exploring how it might be able to pair other projects with the rail to qualify. This is just one of many potential funding sources the council is looking into.

He said he couldn’t really elaborate on others just yet.

Pinkoson echoed Ramsey, saying the county is completely on board with the effort. “We don’t want High Springs to suffer an economic setback.”