Roxbury officials protest $6M in stimulus funds for Chester Branch Rail Line
by Lawrence Ragonese/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday May 06, 2009, 7:43 PM

ROXBURY - A $6 million infusion of federal stimulus dollars to Morris County for
an upgrade of a deteriorating freight rail line would be a "disaster" for
Roxbury's Horseshoe Lake recreation area, according to protesting town
officials, who have urged town residents to complain to the county freeholders.

They say improvements to the Chester Branch Rail Line would cause safety
problems, putting trains within feet of residents who use a busy town-created
biking-and-walking trail that abuts the lake. It also could hamper use of
recreation fields and put a damper on local events held at the site, they said.

But surprised county officials countered today they are only planning to improve
the lightly used rail line, taking advantage of a one-time shot at federal
dollars for a service that could be used by local businesses. They said many of
the concerns could be resolved through "amicable dialogue" between the town and
county.

"We have an opportunity to purchase this rail line and use federal stimulus
dollars to fix it - a shovel-ready in the ground project," said Morris County
Administrator John Bonanni. "We understand it's a sensitive matter for Roxbury
and Randolph, and we look to work cooperatively with them, to address as many of
their concerns as possible."

The key issue for Roxbury officials is the southern-most portion of the rail
line, which runs past Horseshoe Lake and veers off to the Westinghouse
commercial site in Randolph. That would put trains virtually on the town's
pedestrian trail and near the lake.

"That would be getting into the heart of our recreation area," Roxbury Township
Manager Christopher Raths said tonight. But the trail was built in the 1990s on
rail right-of-way without permission, said county officials - a contention Raths
said he is investigating.

Bonanni said upgrading the entire Chester line would make rail service available
to Westinghouse, which has 900,000 square feet of commercial space, and could
result in jobs and tax dollars.

However, that would not result in a major flow of trains, said County Planning
and Development Director Frank Pinto. He said only a few trains now run on it
each week. And even if use increased a bit, Pinto stressed the county could
limit the number of trains and times of operation.

The Chester Branch line is four miles long, running from the NJ Transit
connection north of Berkshire Valley Road, south to Route 10 and ending at the
Randolph and Roxbury border, near Horseshoe Lake. It connects with the county
owned High Bridge freight rail line, which is leased by the Morristown & Erie
Railway.

The Chester line now is owned by Jack Holland, owner of Holland Manufacturing,
which is located on Main Street in Roxbury and which uses rail service for its
adhesives business. Rail service also would be essential for Kuiken Brothers
lumber company, which is adjacent to Horseshoe Lake and has gotten Roxbury
Planning Board approval for expansion, including a required rail link.

Holland has offered to sell the line to the county for one dollar in return for
county funding to fix the rails, which are in poor shape and have resulted in
some derailments.

"The present dilapidated condition of the track has caused numerous derailments,
which have delayed rail car deliveries and cut into customers' production
schedules," the county wrote in its request for federal stimulus dollars.

Pinto said the county long sought state funds to improve the line but with no
success.

He met with Roxbury officials several weeks ago. But Roxbury officials said
today they were concerned their voices were not being heard. So they went public
with their issues. They contended trains would create a safety issue, impact
access to Horseshoe Lake Island, impact the number of events held at the lake
facility and negatively impact aesthetics.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/roxbury_township_officials_pro.html

Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey