A nearly 40-mile rail line stretching from West Point to Ackerman that has remained dormant for more than two decades has the potential to become a bustling destination for walkers and bikers through Starkville’s planned rail-to-trail project.
However, recent legislation proposed in Washington threatens to derail the city’s plans before they even begin to take shape.
House Resolution 4924, introduced in August, aims to impose additional requirements and restrictions on railbanking, the process of converting inactive rail corridors into recreational trails.
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said the legislation could create roadblocks for what she believes would be a major asset for the community.
“(The project) is a huge benefit in that right now all we’ve got is a dead rail line with dead space, and there is nothing that contributes affirmatively (or) positively to our community from this rail line,” Spruill said. “It is non-navigable and it is a liability as opposed to an asset. … I just hope that Congress and those who would be contemplating (the legislation) would think seriously about its implications and not move forward with it.”
Starkville is looking to help convert a roughly 38.1-mile section of rail line into a walking and biking trail, six miles of which runs through the city connecting the North Farm at Mississippi State University to Cornerstone Park. The entire trail, if created, would also run through Ackerman, Sturgis and West Point.
The board of aldermen agreed in May to allow Texas-based Innovative Rail Partners LLC to negotiate the purchase with Canadian railway holding company CPKC.
If passed, the bill would amend the National Trails System Act. The most significant change would be the requirement for trail sponsors, in this case local governments, to obtain written approval from all landowners whose properties border the railroad right-of-way. The bill would also mandate that trail sponsors compensate these landowners at fair market value for the use of the land.
“All of those, I mean that just pretty well stifles your ability to get it done because if you’ve got one landowner that doesn’t sign off, then you’ve got a broken point to your trail,” Spruill said.
Charles Montange, a rail trail attorney who helped establish the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national railbanking nonprofit, said the resolution’s requirement for unanimous consent would effectively kill any future railbanking projects.
“It would require unanimous consent, which no one ever gets for a right of way, especially one of any length,” he said. “So it would kill any future use, and the railroads are not going to want to wait around while all of this gets dickered out.”
As it stands, landowners can seek compensation from the federal government if they believe their property rights are violated during the railbanking process. The resolution would shift that responsibility to local governments.
“Basically, what this law seeks to do is to put any burden on local government or to prevent private parties at all from engaging in the process,” Montange said.
What about existing trails?
The legislation also introduces additional regulatory oversight by the federal Surface Transportation Board, which oversees economic aspects of the freight rail industry.
“It just creates something that most people would see as an additional level of bureaucracy on management,” Montange said. “We don’t know what those requirements will be. They could change over time. It would drive people off from trying to do this at all.”
Spruill also raised concerns about the resolution’s potential impact on existing trails.
“From my perspective, (the legislation) is also retrospective, so it goes back to other trails that have been created,” she said. “I think it legally is questionable as to whether or not they can go back and do that.
“That would be worrisome to me for all the trails that currently exist in Mississippi, as well as the ones that people have grown to enjoy over the years throughout the states,” she added.
There are 18 rail trails in Mississippi, including the 43.6-mile Tanglefoot Trail that runs through Chickasaw, Pontotoc and Union counties; the 44-mile Longleaf Trace that runs through Forrest and Jeff Davis counties; and the 3.75-mile Kitty Dill Memorial Parkway that runs through West Point.
Main Street and Tourism for West Point Director Lisa Klutts said West Point’s rail trail sits entirely on public land. Though for longer trails that go through private land, the regulations for unanimous approval and landowner compensation could still be enforced.
“It’s designed to hobble and prevent future railbanking and preservation of rights-of-way,” Montagne said. “It will encumber even existing right of ways with this new level of bureaucracy that will also have an effect on your city trail.”
IRP Partner Montey Sneed, who is involved with Starkville’s negotiations for the purchase, said he isn’t sure exactly how the resolution might impact the planned trail, though he said negotiations for the purchase are ongoing.
Ward 2 Alderwoman and Budget Chair Sandra Sistrunk said the city hasn’t fleshed out exactly how the financial responsibility for the rail trail would be shared, though the city currently plans to collaborate with the surrounding cities and counties to share the cost. Sneed did not share an exact cost estimate for the purchase.
Sistrunk said despite the proposed resolution, the city is still optimistic about the economic impact of the project.
“There’s always that initial opposition when rails are converted into trails,” she said. “But over a short period of time, people see the benefits very quickly. It really is a great economic driver. I think there is a great deal of community support for this to become a destination area for bikers … and to make it a regional destination.”
U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly and Michael Guest did not return to Dispatch calls or texts for comment by press time.
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