Showdown over Federally Regulated Rail Line on Feb. 3

COMMUNITY NEWS

Showdown over Federally Regulated Rail Line on Feb. 3

Editor’s note: Roaring Camp took over Watsonville freight service in May, serving customers Martinelli’s, the apple-juice maker, and Big Creek Lumber. There is no freight service on the Felton to Santa Cruz section of the rail line, only tourist service. •••

On Jan. 19, Roaring Camp — operator of the Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific Railway (from Felton to Santa Cruz) — issued a statement calling on the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission to reject, at its Feb. 3 meeting, a proposal by RTC staff that Roaring Camp contends would force abandonment of the Felton Branch Rail Line.

RTC spokeswoman Shannon Munz responded with this statement: “The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will receive a report during the public session of the Commission’s Feb. 3 meeting related to a potential adverse abandonment action for freight service only on the Felton Branch Line and the relationship of that action to the potential for future railbanking of a portion of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line north of Watsonville.”

To view the Feb. 3 meeting online, visit sccrtc.org. The agenda was not posted on Jan. 19 or 20. Typically, the agenda is posted 3 days before a meeting. To make a comment, email info@sccrtc.org

Loss of the right to freight use would have a highly negative impact on Roaring Camp’s business, the company maintains.

Roaring Camp has more than 60 permanent employees.

Roaring Camp CEO Melani Clark provided this statement:

“Roaring Camp is strongly opposed to the RTC’s proposed action to pursue forced abandonment of the rail line we’ve owned and operated since 1984 because doing so will seriously harm our local, family-run, women-owned business, and our local economy. The RTC’s proposal represents an aggressive attack on our railroad and rail transportation in our county, fueled by special interests that are lobbying hard to end rail in Santa Cruz County. We encourage our community to join Roaring Camp in standing up against this poorly conceived, shortsighted move.”

“Roaring Camp Railroad” page 15

Roaring Camp sponsors an electric streetcar demo on the rail line in Watsonville in October.

CORRECTION

In the December 2021 issue of the Capitola Soquel Times, photographs depicting the Santa Cruz City Ballet at International Academy of Dance performing The Nutcracker were accidentally used in the print edition article about the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. We apologize for this error. The correct photos have been updated on our e-edition, which can be found at tpgonlinedaily.com.

SPECIALIZING IN Residential Repaints & Custom Homes Homeowners Associations Property Managers WINTER SPECIAL

If we paint your interior and/or exterior by February 28, 2022 we will buy the paint.

• Commercial • Residential • Vacation Rental 831-476-2023

Mention this ad for10% Off

New Construction • Repair • Factory Certified • Skylightplace.com