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County advances Dan Nicholas Park train replacement planning; tourism board proposes multi-year funding partnership
Summary
Rowan County staff and tourism officials briefed commissioners on a proposed nearly 3,000-foot replacement train and track at Dan Nicholas Park, a $1.3M investment already made on trains, a $400,000 grant application for track work, and a staff plan to ask the board to move $500,000 from the general fund to a capital project fund at the next meeting; tourism proposed a $1.5'$2 million commitment over 10 years.
Parks staff and the county's tourism director presented a plan May 4 to replace and expand the Dan Nicholas Park miniature train, including a proposed new track layout nearly 3,000 feet in length, two ordered trains and accessibility and safety upgrades.
Parks staff described the layout as almost 3,000 feet, roughly double the prior route. "This black outline is what is proposed for the new train layout. This is almost 3,000 feet in length," the parks representative said. Staff said two trains have been ordered and work is underway on design and grading estimates; an application for a $400,000 grant was submitted to support track construction. County staff reported approximately $1.3 million has already been spent on locomotives and cars.
County Manager and staff said they plan to ask the board at the next meeting to move $500,000 from the general fund into a capital project fund to support the track work if required, then supplement with grants or tourism contributions if awarded. "So what we plan to do at the next meeting is to ask the board to move $500,000 from the general fund to a capital project fund that will last the whole project," staff told commissioners.
The tourism authority told the board it is interested in a long-term funding partnership and suggested committing between $1.5 million and $2 million over 10 years as an interlocal agreement to leverage county funds and attract additional grants and private funding. "Our board is thinking somewhere in the range of 1.5 to $2,000,000 commitment over the course of a decade to form a partnership," a tourism representative said.
Staff said design, procurement and bidding for track installation will proceed after cost estimates are finalized and that the project team is targeting completion by December, though they described the timeline as ambitious. Park and tourism leaders said changes to picnic areas or event layouts may be required during construction and that safety measures (fenced crossings and train crossings) will be designed into the plan.
What happens next: staff will return with a request to transfer $500,000 into a capital project fund and a draft capital project ordinance if needed; the board will consider the transfer and any matching commitments or grant awards.
