Parks director updates commissioners on rail-bank acquisition; public split over greenway plans

John Hill, director of Person County Parks and Recreation, on Sept. 15 updated the Board of Commissioners on the long-running effort to preserve the Norfolk Southern 55'01 railroad corridor through a rail-bank acquisition being handled by the Conservation Fund and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

Hill said the Conservation Fund signed a contract with Norfolk Southern and was in due diligence; he said partners expect the transaction to close between November 2025 and January 2026. He urged the county to join as a partner and secure management control of the corridor so Person County can retain local decision-making over future uses of the corridor.

"If Person County continues to be a partner of this and move forward with the acquisition, you're gonna gain...management control of the railroad corridor portion in Person County," Hill said, emphasizing that management control preserves the county's ability to work with local landowners and to decide how crossings and future development will be handled.

Hill and county staff described how federal funds routed through NCDOT will be used for the acquisition and that local jurisdictions are being asked to provide matching funds. Hill said earlier county calculations put Person County's share in the approximate range of $1.5 million and explained that the county applied for grant and CIP funds previously to position itself to participate.

County Attorney T.C. Morphis Jr. told commissioners he had not seen any proposed management agreement language that would obligate the county to fund future development, but he said staff would need to review any draft agreement and would flag terms that might obligate the county. "I would need to see some kind of agreement between or proposed documentation...we'd certainly be reviewing for that and would flag it for the commissioners if it came up," Morphis said.

The item was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on acquisition at the meeting.

Public comments at the meeting illustrated a split in community views. Supporters, including residents and members of Friends of the Parks, said a greenway would provide safe recreation and transportation and reduce travel to other counties for greenway access. Jeff Kisner, who said bicycling had improved his health, urged commissioners to visit existing greenways to understand their value.

Opponents raised concerns about safety, flooding, parking and property impacts. Christie Harris said surveyors had appeared near her home and that a proposed trail would run about 20 feet from her bedroom window; she said she was opposed "mainly for safety issues because I have 6 grandchildren" and expressed concern about flooding and parking on private roads. Linda Dickerson said she worried about trash, crime and inadequate law enforcement.

Hill and staff sought to correct misconceptions raised during public comment: they said the surveyors residents saw were working for Norfolk Southern and the Conservation Fund as part of due diligence, not for Person County; and they said acquisition of management rights would not automatically obligate Person County to build a trail or to spend county funds on development. NCDOT and other partners, including East Coast Greenway, have provided grant funding toward the project (East Coast Greenway was cited as providing $1 million toward the partnership).

Why this matters: The corridor acquisition will determine who controls the property and whether Person County has an ongoing role in deciding future uses ranging from a linear park/greenway to potential future rail reactivation. Management control would provide the county a role in future planning, crossings and potential economic development along the corridor.

What's next: Hill said partners are working out how matching funds would flow to NCDOT and that proposed management agreements would be negotiated; the board was asked to consider whether it wants to continue as a partner in the acquisition process.