Rothschild board votes to pursue purchase of Union Pacific rail corridor to reconnect multiuse trail

The Village of Rothschild board voted April 14 to begin the process of acquiring an abandoned Union Pacific Railroad corridor that staff say would reconnect an originally planned multiuse trail to the City of Schofield.

Timothy Vergara, the village’s administrator of public works, summarized years of research with WisDOT and multiple rail carriers and said the corridor is now under Union Pacific ownership. Vergara said the corridor would create a direct connection into the wider metro trail network, allow cleanup of an area adjacent to the Pavilion Market Place plan, and provide better long-term trail alignment than the alternate on-street route the village used to meet a funding window.

Vergara presented a list of estimated upfront expenses associated with pursuing acquisition: survey $2,500; title company $2,000; fair market value $10,000; legal costs $2,000; contingency $2,500; estimated total $19,000. He cautioned that additional funds will be required in future years to construct the trail whether by village forces or contract.

Trustees discussed the benefits and drawbacks, including time required (months to more than a year) and uncertain return on investment. Trustee Deb Ehster cast the lone dissent; the motion to proceed carried 6-1. The board instructed staff to start the acquisition process and return with future approvals as needed.

Next steps: staff will begin acquisition work, including surveying and title work, and will report back to the board for future approvals and funding decisions if necessary.