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Rail advocates urge McDowell County to show 'skin in the game' for passenger-rail funding
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Summary
Kathy Moore, a rail-committee representative, told the county board that restoration work by RJ Corman and Norfolk Southern has reopened tracks and urged McDowell and neighboring towns to together demonstrate local funding commitment to unlock state and federal passenger-rail dollars.
Kathy Moore, a rail-committee representative, told the McDowell County Board of Commissioners on April 13 that rail companies have committed to restore heavily damaged tracks between Old Fort and Ridgecrest and invited commissioners to a May 18 ‘‘welcome-back’’ event for Norfolk Southern.
Moore said RJ Corman completed large reconstruction work and described a local group called ‘‘Waiting for the Train — McDowell County’’ that plans a public rally. She cited a recent Western North Carolina passenger-rail status article that listed a roughly $133,000,000 total for later development phases and urged the county to show ‘‘skin in the game’’ to improve the chances of obtaining state and federal funds.
Moore estimated McDowell County’s proportional share by population could be about $6 million but said the county need not provide that entire amount; she framed the request as a demonstration of willingness to contribute some local funding, not a final financial ask. ‘‘We just have to have skin in the game,’’ Moore said.
Chair recognized the potential regional benefits and commissioners thanked Moore for the update. Moore also noted public outreach efforts and traced the restoration timeline to contractor updates given at a prior alderman meeting.
What happens next: Moore invited county leaders to the May 18 event and recommended county staff coordinate with regional planning organizations and adjacent municipalities to explore a cooperative local funding pledge or in-kind contributions.
Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 062; discussion and closing remarks SEG 270.
