MONROE - The future of the Cheese Country Trail is still up in the air until the state makes its decision whether to help convert the popular trail into a railroad line.
Wisconsin & Southern President William Gardner said Friday the future of the trail was still in "limbo," but said the railroad wants to work with trail users.
Gardner attended Friday's Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission (PRTC) meeting at the Green County Courthouse.
He said the railroad wants to work with trail clubs to either find a way to share the corridor or to find an alternative.
In February, the railroad will apply for state funds to help cover some of the cost to extend the rail line. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has until the end of June to approve or deny the funding request.
Until the state makes a decision about the trail, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicle users will be able to use the trail.
Gardner, who told the PRTC in October that an unnamed business has expressed an interest in building west of Monroe, said Friday he wouldn't reveal information about the business.
Green County Board member Jerry Guth, who has worked with the ATV clubs in their dealings with the railroad, attended Friday's meeting as a citizen and not as a representative for any groups.
Guth said the ATV clubs are looking at "any and all alternatives" to the trail, whether it be sharing the corridor or finding an alternative route.
The railroad wants to use 4.5 miles of the trail west of Monroe. In July, the commission voted to take back a portion of the trail from Badger State Ethanol to Ullum Road.
When the railroad gave up the line between Monroe and Mineral Point in the late 1980s, it was with the understanding it would get the trail back if it ever expanded rail service. In 2000, the railroad and the rail transit commission signed a contract to that effect.
In January, the Monroe Visitor and Promotion Board agreed to pay a portion of the $3,000 to $4,000 needed to conduct a study by Fehr-Graham to determine if the 4.5 miles of trail could be relocated so it could share the trail corridor.
Board members said they were concerned about the economic effect on the city if the trailhead was moved west of Monroe.
Wisconsin & Southern President William Gardner said Friday the future of the trail was still in "limbo," but said the railroad wants to work with trail users.
Gardner attended Friday's Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission (PRTC) meeting at the Green County Courthouse.
He said the railroad wants to work with trail clubs to either find a way to share the corridor or to find an alternative.
In February, the railroad will apply for state funds to help cover some of the cost to extend the rail line. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has until the end of June to approve or deny the funding request.
Until the state makes a decision about the trail, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicle users will be able to use the trail.
Gardner, who told the PRTC in October that an unnamed business has expressed an interest in building west of Monroe, said Friday he wouldn't reveal information about the business.
Green County Board member Jerry Guth, who has worked with the ATV clubs in their dealings with the railroad, attended Friday's meeting as a citizen and not as a representative for any groups.
Guth said the ATV clubs are looking at "any and all alternatives" to the trail, whether it be sharing the corridor or finding an alternative route.
The railroad wants to use 4.5 miles of the trail west of Monroe. In July, the commission voted to take back a portion of the trail from Badger State Ethanol to Ullum Road.
When the railroad gave up the line between Monroe and Mineral Point in the late 1980s, it was with the understanding it would get the trail back if it ever expanded rail service. In 2000, the railroad and the rail transit commission signed a contract to that effect.
In January, the Monroe Visitor and Promotion Board agreed to pay a portion of the $3,000 to $4,000 needed to conduct a study by Fehr-Graham to determine if the 4.5 miles of trail could be relocated so it could share the trail corridor.
Board members said they were concerned about the economic effect on the city if the trailhead was moved west of Monroe.