Wednesday, October 10, 2007

And is the rail yard now coming to Selma, instead?

At least that is the rumor I have heard. If so, I don't have a problem with a rail yard in Selma. What I WOULD have a problem with is the possibility of taking land by eminent domain for a rail yard. A government has to be engaged in eminent domain; a railroad can not do that on their own. I have a hard time with the concept of a rail yard being a case for eminent domain. Let the railroad companies buy the land, but do not forcibly take it from land owners for the purpose. Anyway, the article on WMPM's news site mentioned eminent domain, and I have no idea how far that idea would have gotten in Clayton. I know that idea would not have gotten far without me being vocal about it, either in Clayton or here in Selma.

One of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever made was the Kelo vs. New London decision that allows governments to take land away from property owners and give it to developers.
Residents Think They Have Defeated Clayton Rail Yard - A group of Clayton residents think they have won a battle against the railroad over a rail yard they thought was about to be built in their own back yards. The NC Railroad Company had reportedly been looking at purchasing 30 acres of land between Guy Road and the Wake County line for the rail yard. Llewellyn Beaman alerted her neighbors and the community about the situation this summer when she found the rail company had contracted for land near her home. A grassroots committee called CARRE, Citizens Against Rail Road Expansion, was formed. In a letter to Beaman, the NC Railroad Company said they were no longer going to exercise purchase contracts or to acquire the property by eminent domain. Residents had been fearful the rail yard could have encompassed as much as 100 acres and included an intermodal facility and trucking operation.

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