Meeting in Monroe to Discuss the Bailey Branch

Tuesday May 13^th, Benton County Americans For Prosperity (BCAFP) hosted a meeting of concerned South County landowners to discuss the County’s intentions for the Bailey Branch railroad right-of-way it has purchased.  There are about twenty landowners with property along the right-of-way and about sixteen of them were in attendance.

On April 6, 2011, years after the Union Pacific Railroad announced they were abandoning the Bailey Branch because of unprofitability, an article in the Albany Democrat-Herald announced, “Benton vows fight to keep Bailey Branch.”  Benton was not fooling; in 2013, the Benton County Commissioners purchased the Bailey Branch for $486,000.

At Tuesday’s meeting we learned that many of the landowners have not been happy with the Bailey Branch since its beginning.  The rail line bisects most farms making it difficult to gain access to parts of their land.  Each landowner was coerced through intimidation into to actually selling the land the tracks would be placed on at the buyer’s price.  Negotiation was not allowed even though some of the deeds failed to describe exactly where the tracks would be laid.  Most of today’s landowners were glad to hear that the Union Pacific had decided to abandon the Branch.  As one person put it, “What we would really like is for it to just go away.”

The County didn’t buy all of the Bailey Branch, however.  In the meeting, Mr. Larry Venell told how he purchased a little over five miles of the Branch, from Avery Park to just past Llewellyn Road, because rail access is critical to his business.  He has already begun the needed maintenance on that section.

The landowners present were as curious and confused about the purchase as many Benton County taxpayers are.  Why would the County want to purchase less than fourteen miles of railroad right-of-way that doesn’t actually go anywhere?  And why, now that they have actually purchased it, do they say they had no plans in mind for it when they bought it?

Commissioner Linda Modrell, who was the individual most responsible for the purchase and handled 100% of the transaction, has at times cited reasons such as protecting the County from possible liability and ‘saving’ the valuable right-of-way for possible future use.  She has been an advocate for improving passenger rail service from Corvallis to Eugene in the past and has even talked about the possibility of high-speed rail.  Unfortunately her hopes on that issue were dashed in January by Jim Cox of ODOT when he said, “[D]on’t get your hopes up.  There is no estimate for when ... even moderately fast passenger train service up the Willamette Valley might start.”  (Hasso Hering)

There has also been talk about something called Rails-to-Trails, which was heavily discussed at the meeting.  The County Commissioners held a meeting with South County residents last year where they assured everyone that they had no intentions to put a bicycle and/or hiking trail along the Bailey Branch right-of-way.  Yet one person at the meeting has heard that plans are already being drawn up for Opening Ceremonies for such a trail in 2015.  Another landowner at the meeting, upon hearing this, said that he spent several years working as a project development engineer for a large corporation.  He estimated the cost of such a project would be four times what was spent on the Right-of-Way.  “Where are they going to get two million dollars for something like that?” he asked.

Landowners are very concerned about this.  Currently they have to deal with trespassers, theft and vandalism, damage to fences and outbuildings, and even harm to livestock on a regular basis.  Putting any kind of trail down the right-of-way would make public access to their private property even easier.  There is also the issue of safety and security of those who might actually use such a trail, possibly leading to liability for landowners when persons using such a path are injured or worse.  Even weed control along the Branch is critical because weeds can contaminate the crops that are the livelihood of the farmers.

Currently the County is developing a Bailey Branch Development Strategy to guide its utilization, “adhering to the best uses for that property.”  A draft strategy will be presented for public review and comment beginning in July, with a decision by the commissioners sometime in August.

Go to: http://www.co.benton.or.us/boc/bailey_branch.php for details on how to submit comments or suggestions.  We need to be alert for any announcements concerning the Strategy and the public input meetings to be held over the summer.  An alert email list is currently being assembled by AFP to get the word out.  If you would like to be on that list, send email to BCAFP@comcast.net.

<>