Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Horry County Council will begin deliberations for its FY 2016 Horry County budget next Friday at a workshop and specially called council meeting.
Now that elections are over and several new council members are poised to join the governing body in the new year, we will see just how “conservative” our heavily Republican contingent on council really is.
My guess is the cronyism that has justified what I consider wasteful council spending in certain areas will continue to manifest itself.
Hopes are high that an expected sale of the Carolina Southern Railroad will be finalized within the next 60 days, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Horry County Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding that includes $1.8 million to be applied toward that sale at its regular meeting Tuesday night. In addition, the Horry County administrator was directed by Horry County Council to continue to work toward completion of a sales and purchase contract for the Carolina Southern Railroad.
Columbus County (NC) Commissioners approved a like amount to be applied toward the sale one night earlier.
With a new direction beginning at Coast RTA, it would be a good time to look at all potential mass transit within Horry County.
Horry County owns the 14 mile stretch of railroad and right of way between Conway and Myrtle Beach as well as the former Y track and air base spur.
If the county and Coast RTA are genuinely interested in looking at all mass transit options for the future, this section of railroad should not be overlooked.
An unofficial committee of three local counties passed two resolutions Wednesday calling for new ownership for the Carolina Southern Railroad while acknowledging the railroad is essential for Horry and Marion counties in South Carolina and Columbus County, NC.
Grandly calling itself the “‘Interstate Railroad Committee of North and South Carolina’, this group of public officials representing several communities and three counties across two states, with no legal basis, has finally come out of the closet with its true purpose.
That purpose is to wrest ownership of the railroad from Ken Pippin and his family.
Since when, in America, is it the purpose of one government or a group of governments to decide who should own a private business?
Carolina Southern Railroad and Horry County officials appear to remain far apart on any plan to get the railroad back in operation.
Service on portions of the rail line was voluntarily suspended by Carolina Southern Railroad officials when new federal regulations, especially on bridges, went into effect in the summer of 2011. Those service interruptions directly affect Horry County.
Since then, the railroad has been searching for funding with which to make the repairs. It joined with Horry County in two unsuccessful applications for discretionary railroad infrastructure TIGER grants from the federal government.
Repairs on railroad crossings and bridges along the Carolina Southern Railroad route in North Carolina are moving along while funding for repairs in the South Carolina portion of the line is still being sought.
Meanwhile, a committee (?) formed to search for ways to help get the railroad back into full operation seems to be more interested in effecting a change of ownership of the Carolina Southern Railroad rather than searching for ways solutions.
Calling itself the ‘Interstate Railroad Committee of North and South Carolina’, this group of public officials representing several communities and three counties across two states, seems bent on forcing the Pippin family, owners of Carolina Southern Railroad, out of ownership of the railroad.
A committee formed to discuss ways in which the Carolina Southern Railroad may be helped back into operation may be causing more problems than it can solve.
Formed as an informal, joint discussion committee between officials in the three counties served by Carolina Southern Railroad, it seems to have evolved into something entirely different.
According to committee meeting minutes, at least nine different city or county councils, from two states (North and South Carolina), have appointed members to what amounts to an informal committee.
By its November 7 meeting, the committee, now calling itself the Interstate Railroad Committee of North and South Carolina, was discussing a “budget” of $100,000 to be allocated among the three county governments represented – Horry and Marion in South Carolina and Columbus in North Carolina.
Last week’s first meeting of the new committee discussing the state of the Carolina Southern Railroad comprised not much more than organizational work.
Comprised of public officials and prominent business people, the committee draws representation from Horry, Marion and Brunswick (NC) counties.
Shutdown since August 2011, he railroad has spent approximately $400,000 repairing bridges along the line, but estimates at least another $1.5 million must be spent to complete the bridge repairs.
Government and business officials from Horry, Marion and Columbus (NC) counties will form a new committee to discuss options for getting Carolina Southern Railroad back into operation.
Service on the railroad has been suspended since August 2011 due to structural problems with bridges on the system were discovered during an inspection by Federal Railroad Administration officials. The railroad voluntarily suspended service after initial and follow-up inspections revealed the bridge problems.
The railroad has spent approximately $400,000 repairing bridges along the line, but estimates at least another $1.5 million must be spent to complete the bridge repairs. Additionally, track upgrades are considered necessary for long term operation of the railroad.
The Horry County Infrastructure and Regulation Committee heard an update on the Carolina Southern Railroad last week as the railroad looks to restart service.
Carolina Southern voluntarily shut down operations August 30, 2011, after new Federal Railroad Administration regulations identified issues with bridges along the railroad’s lines.
“We have put millions of dollars into bridges over the last couple of years,” said General Manager Jason Pippin. “However, we still have issues with three strategically located bridges that are keeping us from running.”
Speak Up…