Houghton County backs Snowbelt Transit Commission to preserve out-of-service rail line

On Oct. 10, 2023, the Houghton County Board of Commissioners voted 4–0 to adopt Resolution 23-19, supporting the formation of a Snowbelt Transit Commission to acquire and preserve an out-of-service rail line from the Wisconsin–Michigan border to White Pine while keeping multi‑use trails intact.

Chairman Tom Tikkanen described regional coordination with Gogebic and Ontonagon counties and said the commission’s purpose is to preserve rail infrastructure that, the resolution states, is necessary to attract industry and support economic growth. The resolution traces economic challenges in the western Upper Peninsula to the loss of major employers and the removal of the Rockland–Ontonagon rail line.

The motion to adopt Resolution 23-19 was made by Commissioner Glenn Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Gretchen Janssen. The roll-call vote recorded yes: Anderson, Janssen, Tikkanen and Keranen; Roy Britz was absent. The resolution was declared adopted and certified by County Clerk Jennifer Kelly.

The resolution frames the commission’s objectives as both preserving a logistical network for new industry and maintaining tourism-supporting multi‑use trails. It lists regional economic harms — including mine and mill closures and rail abandonment — as justification for a coordinated transit commission and an acquisition effort for the out‑of‑service corridor.

Next steps were not specified at the meeting; the resolution itself urges support for formation of the Snowbelt Transit Commission. The county clerk’s certification appears in the meeting record.