Notes of Hanover Meeting: 2016-04-27

At the Hanover Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday (April 27^th) a motion to do with the proposed rail project was presented. The discussion to do with this motion started at 6:26 p.m. and concluded at 6: 35 p.m. All supervisors but Mr. Hazzard were present for the discussion.

The original motion read,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hanover County Board of Supervisors after consideration of the original alternatives and the new Ashland minor upgrade alternative, rescinds the County Administrator’s January 7, 2016, letter and seeks to partner with citizens of Hanover County and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to identify an upgrade for the current tracks through Ashland which will result in the least disruption to the residents and businesses of the Town of Ashland, and accommodates the need to provide safe and efficient freight and passenger rail service.

The wording of the motion was changed during the discussion. A copy of the actual motion was not provided to the members of the public but it appears as if the following words,

an upgrade for the current tracks through Ashland which will result in the least disruption to the residents and businesses of the Town of Ashland 

were replaced with something more generic on the lines of “best alternatives”.

Ms. Prichard made the following points:

1. The word “minor” in the original motion is not defined.
2. She supports a united front for all of Hanover County.

It should be noted that, in reality, there can be no such thing as a “minor upgrade” to the existing tracks. Any upgrade will likely require that the entire system be modified to meet current codes. Such a modification will be far from “minor”. More on this in next week’s post Not Your Grandfather’s Railroad.