Local coalition forming to support proposed mountain rail link
Local officials and private entities are hoping a yet-to-be-signed memorandum of understanding will help clear a path for a passenger rail service serving Steamboat Springs and the surrounding communities.
A draft of the document provided by Steamboat Springs City Council member Michael Buccino shows the agreement includes the city of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. and the town of Hayden.
The memorandum, which intends to create an ad-hoc Mountain Rail Coalition entity, further lists partner entities as the Craig Chamber of Commerce, the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, the town of Winter Park and Intrawest/winter Park Operations Corporation.
The document sets out a framework for the creation of a steering committee for the Mountain Rail Coalition, an organization that would, through the passage of the memorandum, “provide a temporary mechanism for coordination of the entities with local, state and federal stakeholders on mountain rail related matters,” according to the draft document.
“The benefits of mountain rail include meeting transportation needs for residents, visitors and commuters; supporting a just transition for coalimpacted communities; improving access to attainable housing for resort communities; and reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions,” the memorandum states.
The infrastructure for the mountain rail line already exists and is currently used for coal transportation. But as the region moves away from the coal industry, the plan is for the rail line to transition to a mix of commercial freight and passenger rail.
The proposed memorandum states the Mountain Rail Coalition “will be a consensus-based body that strives for robust representation among interested stakeholders.”
The draft memorandum was agreed upon last week at a meeting that was not noticed or accessible to the public and included members representing the signing parties.
Routt County officials announced the proposed memorandum of understanding Friday, and included the names of Routt County Commissioner Sonja Macys and Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. Director of Social Responsibility Sarah Jones as contacts.
“At that particular meeting, it was conveyed to us by (the Colorado Department of Transportation) and (Gov. Jared Polis) that it would be really important for us to start forming as more of a formalized coalition,” Macys said, adding that the memorandum process was started to formalize meetings held by the group, which is not yet a public body.
“It has just been a collective of individual people representing organizations, and we haven’t had any two county commissioners or City Council members in the room to have it be required to be a public body.”
Macys added that the memorandum is really the first step in creating a broader coalition that would become some form of entity, likely with a nonprofit-type status.
“And that is where the bigger advisory committee of all the local governments who have an interest in this project will be invited in and, at that point in time, that is when this becomes an actual real coalition with robust membership and agendas and minutes and public process and all of those things,” Macys said.
The draft memorandum document proposes that the Mountain Rail Coalition serves “as the liaison between communities along the mountain rail corridor and state and federal entities to support the creation and development of mountain rail across multiple counties.”
The document goes on to say that, generally, the work needed to achieve the mountain rail project would require a set of goals in the short term to include addressing “legislative issues” and to “conduct outreach to mountain rail stakeholders to invite advisory committee members and general members of the coalition.”
Additional goals outlined in the document include “communicating with mountain rail communities about current studies, legislation and opportunities for engagement at the state and federal level.”
Macys said the aim for the coalition behind the passenger rail plans is focused on connecting an established mountain rail line linking Denver to Winter Park with Steamboat, but is also aiming to establish local commuter links within Routt County.
“Basically, what the deal is, is you have two different pots of money at the federal level that we can access, and one of them is for what is called, ‘inner-city rail,’ and that is connecting Denver to rural areas,” Macys said. “The second pot of money is for commuter rail, and that is what we are talking about from South Routt to Craig. So, two different pots of money, I mean, one consolidated project but very different needs, very different funding sources and all of that.”
Macys estimated there could be billions of dollars available at the federal level to complete the projects, and she said the development of local passenger rail service would pose no additional costs to local taxpayers.
Routt County commissioners were expected to discuss signing the memorandum Tuesday. The town of Hayden has the memorandum on its agenda for Thursday.
The private entities involved with the memorandum, including the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., will sign the document on their own timeline.