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Show Page A12 Thursday, April 13, 1989 Park Record wiEwipaDiiOTr On the right track... Weeds have sprung up between the rails of the train track that runs through Summit County, and Union Pacific's engines no longer haul freight in this area of the state. Since it's not profitable anymore to maintain a train operation here, Union Pacific is in the process pro-cess of abandoning the 32-mile line and has agreed to sell the tracks and ties for their salvage value. Those materials are of the greatest value to the train company, but what lies underneath them could become a vast benefit and asset to this county coun-ty and state if utilized under a plan now being presented to the residents of Wasatch and Summit counties. State and local officials have latched on to a concept con-cept of preserving the line by turning it into a recreational path fit for bicyclists, joggers, equestrians, hikers and in the winter, crosscountry cross-country skiers. It's not an original idea; more than 160 tracks have been turned into trails in 31 states across the country, involving 2,400 miles of track and millions of users each year. The idea is fostered by a national "Rails to Trails Conservancy" which operates under federal laws allowing abandoned rail right-of-ways to be used for new purposes, as long as they can be converted back to their original use if future needs arise. These converted trainways have become success suc-cess stories for metropolitan areas whose suburban subur-ban residents grasp for every bit of parkland they can find. Conversely, successes have developed in the rural areas whose towns have been dependent on industries that have dwindled with the times. Residents in rural Sparta, Wise, are just one example. ex-ample. It was a place where homeowners stuggled to keep food on the table and provide ways to allow their progeny to build homes in the same area they grew up in. The track from Elroy to Sparta ran was a 32-mile scene of rolling hills, railroad trestles and tunnels. But the picture changed when the line was converted to recreational use, as campgrounds, cam-pgrounds, bed-and-breakfast inns, restaurants and bike shops sprang up, serving an estimated 50,000 new vacationers per year. Local officials say each biker on the trail now spends about $50 per day there. Summit County has a similar scene, with its rolling hills and railroad trestles. What is missing is what could be developed, if its residents are willing to allow the necessary changes . ISdlfitorfiafl Supporters of the proposal admit that many questions and concerns need to be answered. The lifelong residents of the county have time-honored traditions of raising livestock and feed, and those traditions are of great benefit to the county. But there's no reason the existing agricultural industries in-dustries can't coexist with new projects. Gilbert Grosvenor, the president of the National Geographic Society, described the situation correctly cor-rectly when he wrote, "What makes these trails possible is the fact that for decades America's rail system has been shrinking. In 1916 there were 270,000 miles of railway. By 1986 there were only 140,000. The nation's railroads abandon about 3,000 miles a year. Changing rails into trails turns these losses into gains." Losses into gains. Could there be a more unified goal in this county? Could a bike shop, a bed-and-breakfast inn and other support industries be possible here? Local proponents respond with a resounding "yes." One thing is for sure. The project will require cooperation, teamwork and positive attitudes. It really is an opportunity to tie this factioned county together. Grosvenor noted that only a fraction of abandoned abandon-ed railroads are converted to trails. "Most are consumed by highways, agriculture, or unplanned development," he wrote. "Private agencies or public agencies seeking to create trails face difficult dif-ficult problems, such as resolving disputes over ownership of the rights-of-way; raising money to buy the land; coordinating planning among different dif-ferent political jurisdictions; and winning the support sup-port of adjacent property owners. Thus far, only one of every five attempts to create trails has succeeded." suc-ceeded." Following Tuesday night's public hearing over the issue in Coalville, Grosvenor's description is again accurate. Let's not let this project fall by the wayside. Not unlike Humpty Dumpty, the rights-of-way that comprise this line could never be put back together again if the line is abandoned. For under that scenario, all that we'd likely ever see on that old railway is the weeds between the rails. Tfeiimli Up, Thumlis Bown j THUMBS DOWN - to the parking lot craters in the Holiday Village Mall area. Those babies will swallow your car if your're not careful! THUMBS UP - to the Park City Muckers. For the first time in a loooong time they kicked off their rugby season with a win at home. THUMBS DOWN- to the Ten O'clock Whistle Whis-tle for going off at 11 p.m.! Perhaps somebody could reset the timer now that we've entered daylight savings? THUMBS UP - to Albertsons for providing oranges and pop to the Park City High School soccer team. The fruit is donated for every game and pop for home games. wWyr W ;,; The following poem was on display at Treasure Mountain Middle School's Spring Evening with the Arts. While we have published two other outstanding outstan-ding poems in the education section, pages A7 and AS, we felt this commentary commen-tary on environmental apathy was more appropriate for the viewpoint section. Earths Death earth this crazy place that we all call home it has so much to offer and we are. taking it all as if it was meant exclusively for us we are a mere race of animals living on a ball of dirt and water it cant last forever and it wont as long as we are handling it as garbage we are treating the earth like a sandwich eating chewing until there is just the crust left the earth is just a fluke of nature if we arent careful it will crack like a crumbling cookie by Kristian Hale JFm Mkb IE(B(B(iDno(fl Do you think the U.S. Government should have intervened in the Valdez oil spill clean up? ( f I i y" -fc, dm Rick Schreiber bartender The government blew it. They should have been there 10 years ago. Tom Peek realtor Probably. They should of at least overseen what was going on because it was such a major problem. JimBuckman vandriver I think it was too late. The government should have initiated in-itiated safeguards years ago. As a result, we're paying for it. V SJ PhilPickelner limo driver No, I think that's a private deal. f I Mr ' I ' V v 4 Mark McAllister bus driver Yes, I think they should of . Mil T JW KayWallis secretary I think it's important we get involved before it's ruined. ruin-ed. We're responsible for our environment. |