MONROE - The Green County Tourism Committee voted to draft a resolution in support of the use of the Tri-County Trail as a recreation trail.
The motion was made by Donna Douglas, seconded by Dennis Dalton and passed by 5-0 vote. Paul Wickline was absent, and Harvey Kubly, as chairman, did not vote.
The vote came after the Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission voted (8-3) on July 24 to give back more than four miles of the Cheese Country Trail to the railroad, between Honey Creek Road and Patterson Road, just west of Monroe.
The Tri-County Trail is comprised of the Cheese County Trail from Monroe in Green County to Mineral Point in Iowa County and a segment from Calimine to Belmont in Lafayette County. It is a multi-use trail along the Pecatonica River on the former bed of Milwaukee Road railroad.
Kubly took some heat from his committee members Tuesday for the vote at the Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission (PRTC) meeting. Kubly is also chairman of the PRTC.
Members of the Tourism Committee met for a regular meeting Tuesday and spent 45 minutes questioning Kubly about the timing of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad's request to extend the track west of Monroe, and the urgency with which the PRTC voted to grant the railroad's request without bringing in other entities that would be affected by the decision.
"The July 24 meeting had my head spinning. I knew there was going to be questions and controversy. But you never know, when you're sitting on multiple committees, when one's going to conflict with another. That doesn't lessen my commitment to the Tourism Committee. When challenges come to pass, we do our best to work with that. The (Pecatonica Rail) Transit Commission works with that," Kubly said in a statement near the end of the meeting.
Donna Douglas told Kubly he had an "obligation to tourism" also. Other members questioned the transparency of the reasons for the railroad's request.
Kubly defended the PRTC's purpose to preserve the rail corridor.
"That's our (PRTC) job, our charge," Kubly told Tourism Committee members.
Dennis Dalton said he learned Badger State Ethanol's rail use was down and the plant does not want the expansion.
Ken Lucht, of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, had told the PRTC that the railroad needs more track to accommodate more train usage by Badger State Ethanol.
Gary Kramer, Badger State Ethanol, told The Times Tuesday afternoon that the plant is taking a neutral position.
However, he said the plant is in a quandary as to the need for the rail expansion, given the plant's usage of the rail is down about 25 percent from its busiest point.
"Our business is off, and that's not going to change much in the future. We use more trucks (now)," he said.
The plant had not heard about any changes (prior to the PRTC July 24 meeting), he said.
"We were surprised that there was no contact (from the railroad)," he added.
The expansion was "more about logistics for the railroad; it's their operation. I would say, however, I'd hate to see the trail for the four-wheelers go away," he said.
Kramer would like to see a "meaningful compromise" between the trail and the rail line to co-exist in the same area, but has concerns that some areas along the reclaimed trail would be difficult.
"Over the trestle would be difficult to co-habitat," he said.
If the rail goes past the trestle, "it would kill the trail as we know it today," Kramer said.
Committee member Sue Disch said she did not believe the railroad had given the "full scope" of their intended plans for the rail west of Monroe.
The PRTC vote was "not in the best interest of the commission, but was in the best interest of Wisconsin Southern," she said.
The action taken by the PRTC is "affecting a great deal of pocket books (in the City of Monroe)" Disch said.
Kubly said the timing of the railroad's request comes based on the state budget.
"It was in the best interest of the trail that they ( the railroad) go through the hoops and have answers in January or February, not in the middle of the summer at the height of the ATV season," he said.
The "hoops" Wisconsin & Southern had to go through are the Surface Transportation Board and the rail division of the DOT, Kubly said.
The motion was made by Donna Douglas, seconded by Dennis Dalton and passed by 5-0 vote. Paul Wickline was absent, and Harvey Kubly, as chairman, did not vote.
The vote came after the Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission voted (8-3) on July 24 to give back more than four miles of the Cheese Country Trail to the railroad, between Honey Creek Road and Patterson Road, just west of Monroe.
The Tri-County Trail is comprised of the Cheese County Trail from Monroe in Green County to Mineral Point in Iowa County and a segment from Calimine to Belmont in Lafayette County. It is a multi-use trail along the Pecatonica River on the former bed of Milwaukee Road railroad.
Kubly took some heat from his committee members Tuesday for the vote at the Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission (PRTC) meeting. Kubly is also chairman of the PRTC.
Members of the Tourism Committee met for a regular meeting Tuesday and spent 45 minutes questioning Kubly about the timing of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad's request to extend the track west of Monroe, and the urgency with which the PRTC voted to grant the railroad's request without bringing in other entities that would be affected by the decision.
"The July 24 meeting had my head spinning. I knew there was going to be questions and controversy. But you never know, when you're sitting on multiple committees, when one's going to conflict with another. That doesn't lessen my commitment to the Tourism Committee. When challenges come to pass, we do our best to work with that. The (Pecatonica Rail) Transit Commission works with that," Kubly said in a statement near the end of the meeting.
Donna Douglas told Kubly he had an "obligation to tourism" also. Other members questioned the transparency of the reasons for the railroad's request.
Kubly defended the PRTC's purpose to preserve the rail corridor.
"That's our (PRTC) job, our charge," Kubly told Tourism Committee members.
Dennis Dalton said he learned Badger State Ethanol's rail use was down and the plant does not want the expansion.
Ken Lucht, of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, had told the PRTC that the railroad needs more track to accommodate more train usage by Badger State Ethanol.
Gary Kramer, Badger State Ethanol, told The Times Tuesday afternoon that the plant is taking a neutral position.
However, he said the plant is in a quandary as to the need for the rail expansion, given the plant's usage of the rail is down about 25 percent from its busiest point.
"Our business is off, and that's not going to change much in the future. We use more trucks (now)," he said.
The plant had not heard about any changes (prior to the PRTC July 24 meeting), he said.
"We were surprised that there was no contact (from the railroad)," he added.
The expansion was "more about logistics for the railroad; it's their operation. I would say, however, I'd hate to see the trail for the four-wheelers go away," he said.
Kramer would like to see a "meaningful compromise" between the trail and the rail line to co-exist in the same area, but has concerns that some areas along the reclaimed trail would be difficult.
"Over the trestle would be difficult to co-habitat," he said.
If the rail goes past the trestle, "it would kill the trail as we know it today," Kramer said.
Committee member Sue Disch said she did not believe the railroad had given the "full scope" of their intended plans for the rail west of Monroe.
The PRTC vote was "not in the best interest of the commission, but was in the best interest of Wisconsin Southern," she said.
The action taken by the PRTC is "affecting a great deal of pocket books (in the City of Monroe)" Disch said.
Kubly said the timing of the railroad's request comes based on the state budget.
"It was in the best interest of the trail that they ( the railroad) go through the hoops and have answers in January or February, not in the middle of the summer at the height of the ATV season," he said.
The "hoops" Wisconsin & Southern had to go through are the Surface Transportation Board and the rail division of the DOT, Kubly said.