Person County adopts rail‑trail multimodal feasibility study, commissioners back phased plan

The Person County Board of Commissioners on March 17 adopted a rail‑trail multimodal feasibility study that lays out a phased plan to build a multiuse trail and connections between southern Person County, Timberlake and Uptown Roxboro.

The study, funded through an NCDOT grant administered via the regional council of governments, recommends beginning with a southern, largely intact rail corridor (Phase 1) and later pursuing more complex connections into Uptown Roxboro (Phase 2). Commissioners approved adoption by recorded vote, 3–1.

The feasibility study matters because it gives the county an adopted plan needed to apply for competitive federal, state and private grants and to frame engineering and property negotiations. The consultants and county staff told commissioners the plan is intended to improve active‑transportation options, attract visitors and spur economic development in towns along the corridor.

John Hill, Person County staff, summarized the project history and grant funding: the study was paid for with NCDOT funds routed through the regional council of governments, and the final document was published in August and adopted earlier by the county Recreation Advisory Board. Alta Planning consultant Matt Hayes told commissioners the team held public workshops in Timberlake and Roxboro and received “dozens” of participants marking maps and advising on trailheads, crossings and amenities.

Hayes said the consultants evaluated multiple route alternatives and selected a “highest performing feasible alternative” that balances cost and constructability. He said the southern segment — almost 11 miles in the consultant’s estimate — carries the largest per‑mile cost, and that the estimated construction cost for roughly 10 miles in one analysis was about $33 million. Hayes said those numbers are conservative and that federal funding and partnerships will be needed to build the trail.

Commissioners and staff described the project as phased. The report identifies Phase 1 as the southern corridor because it is, in the consultants’ analysis, the most intact portion of the line for conversion. The Uptown Roxboro connection is more complex because parts of that corridor are still active rail or require encroachment into utility and highway right‑of‑ways; the consultants recommended negotiating with rail owners or relying on alternative alignments in town.

Commissioner Roster expressed concerns raised at public meetings about impacts on private property, security, and nearby employers. He noted private landowners and at least one local employer raised objections during stakeholder sessions and asked whether the county should begin trail work inside Roxboro where sidewalks and pedestrian needs are concentrated rather than in the rural south. County staff and consultants said the adopted study can be adjusted if priorities or property availability change and that future engineering and property negotiations would refine routes and costs.

Staff also discussed ongoing conversations with The Conservation Fund and Norfolk Southern: consultants said The Conservation Fund is working toward a purchase of certain rail corridor parcels from Norfolk Southern and that any formal agreement could take additional months to finalize. Consultants and staff said the feasibility study positions the county to apply for grants if a corridor purchase is completed.

During public comment, Jana Kisner, chair of Friends of the Parks, urged commissioners to support the study and emphasized broad community interest in trails and parks, saying the project would improve public health and local economic opportunity. “This new park will be a huge step to filling the void of public hiking, biking, and trail opportunities in our county,” Kisner told the board.

The study will be used as the county’s planning document when applying for outside funding and for future engineering work; commissioners and staff said design, property acquisition and construction would proceed only after additional funding is secured and property negotiations are completed.

Votes at a glance: The Board of Commissioners voted to adopt the rail‑trail multimodal feasibility study; record vote reported as 3 in favor, 1 opposed. The vote text on the record was a motion to adopt the feasibility study; the board chair signed the adoption after the vote.

Next steps noted in the meeting record: staff will retain the study as the county’s adopted feasibility plan to support grant applications and to guide any future engineering and property negotiations. Consultants recommended pursuing phased construction and continuing coordination with NCDOT, The Conservation Fund and rail owners.