Benton County released the Draft of its Bailey Branch Rail Corridor Management Strategy on July 2nd. Public hearings were scheduled for July 8th
in Monroe and July 10th in Corvallis to get public input on the proposed strategy. The input they got from the public was surprising.
The Strategy itself contained five options for the future of the corridor:
1. Railroad
Only
2. Develop
Hiking/Biking Trails3. Maintain Current Condition and Uses
4. Transfer (move) the Corridor Location
5. Selling, Leasing and Granting Easements
The consensus, at least at the Corvallis meeting, turned out to be a combination of
these.
Public testimony was pretty much evenly divided between cyclists, hikers and nature
enthusiasts and homeowners and farmers located along the Corridor. Many of the homeowners and farmers turned out
to be in favor of Option 2, but only if it could be combined with Options 4 and
5. Many of the Hiking/Biking community
agreed for some very common sense reasons:
1. Farming
is a serious industrial operation using practices, methods, chemicals and
animals to produce a product.
2. Farming
is one of the ten most dangerous occupations in America.3. At times, certain practices or methods can produce drifting dust or chemicals. Even though they are non-toxic, they are not pleasant.
4. A long, straight trail through farm country and through people’s back yards is not very scenic.
Some of the families along the Bailey Corridor have proposed purchasing the portions
they are adjacent to and maintaining the right-of-way as an easement for
possible return to rail use in the future.
That discussion led to a discussion of the County using the funds to
widen Bellfountain Road and provide a safe, hiking/biking trail connecting the
Corvallis To The Sea Trail to Alpine and the east-west Hull-Oaks section of the
Bailey Branch. Nearly everyone seemed to
agree this might be the best strategy for the Bailey Branch.
Hopefully the Commissioners will agree.
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