North Judson Town Council members discussed the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum and a proposed railroad tie replacement project when members met for their first meeting of the month.
Council President John Rowe explained that, back in June, the Town’s railroad liaison Wendy Hoppe presented three cost estimates for the replacement of railroad ties to officials.
However, he noted that he didn’t feel comfortable moving forward with choosing from the quotes at that time.
Rowe stated, “I asked the question of ‘Who says we have to have these replaced, is it a want or is it a need?’
He continued, “They can’t be the ones to tell us that. We need a professional to tell us that, we need a company to come that verifies that. I mean, it’s $11-12,000 it’s not like it’s $200.”
Rowe emphasized that he isn’t opposed to the idea of helping cover the cost but he would feel better if more details were provided.
After some deliberation, members came to the consensus they wouldn’t make a decision about the railroad tie replacement until they see some documentation with additional information identifying the necessity and justifying the cost.
During their discussion, the Council went into greater detail about the railroad and potential plans for the future.
The discussion over this topic will be featured during WKVI’s Kankakee Valley Viewpoints Program this Sunday at noon.
