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March
25, 2002
Any
attempt to acquire ownership of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad
"North Coast" corridor will be complicated due to the
overlapping multiple of ownerships involved.
The present complexity of ownership is the result of two
decades of efforts by various local, state and federal policy makers
to preserve the North Coast corridor for future generations.
The
North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) owns the section from
Healdsburg north to Korbel, with directors from Humboldt, Mendocino,
and Sonoma counties.
Healdsburg south to Lombard is owned by the Northwestern
Railroad Authority, with directors from Marin County, the NCRA, and
the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
"Bridge District", with Directors representing the
Counties of San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Del
Norte.
Novato to San Rafael and Corte Madera to Larkspur is owned by
the Bridge District, and San Rafael to Corte Madera is owned by
Marin County and the Bridge District.
Adding
to this complexity is the recently introduced legislation AB2224
(Nations, D-San Rafael) at the request of the Sonoma/Marin Area Rail
Transit Commission (SMART).
This legislation would create yet another entity; the
Sonoma-Marin Rail District to acquire the transfer of various
segments of the present ownerships.
And
if all this weren’t complex enough, there are numerous overlapping
right of way and operating agreements between the various entities.
It would appear that Niemeyer and Associates of Illinois'
recently reported quest to acquire the entire North Coast rail
corridor could be accomplished quickly or easily.
Ted
Niemeyer's presentation at the NCRA's March 20th Board of
Directors meeting in Healdsburg included a lengthy dialog with the
Board, staff, and the public.
But, the lengthy airing of the issue still seemed to leave
everyone questioning what was planned or when one might expect it to
happen.
"I
can't quite get a fix on exactly what Niemeyer does want",
said Board Chairman Dave Ripple.
He then went on to say, "the only thing that seems
certain is that Niemeyer feels very strongly that he can raise large
sums of money to take over all or some portion of the North Coast
rail corridor.
His first public statements were about taking over the entire
line, but his latest statements seem to indicate that he may only be
interested in acquiring the rail line from Willits north."
The
NCRA is preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an operator, and
Niemeyer was invited
to respond with one or more possibilities, which might include the
purchase of all or part of the NCRA.
"My
belief in the importance of the railroad to the future prosperity of
this area has brought me to the point where I eat, sleep and breath
its return", said Director Leo Sears.
"And quite frankly, I care not one whit whether the
final result is in private or public hands.
I only care about what is best for the prosperity of our
area.
"The
official position of the NCRA is that any forthcoming proposals will
be treated with one overriding concern - what best serves the future
prosperity of our area.
In the mean time, NCRA's responsibility is to pursue its
present course in reopening the rail corridor.
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