John Woods

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

The lead spokesman for the Red Line Regional Rail Project said Tuesday that the contentious debate of recent weeks is “exactly what we want to see” as officials seek input and revise a business plan for the proposed $452 million rail line. John Woods, who is Davidson’s mayor and chair of the Red Line Task Force, also told a small gathering of reporters at Davidson Town Hall that outside analysis by people from other parts of the country is welcome, but final decisions about the project ultimately must be made by local leaders concerned how “to best enhance our community.”

Listen to Mr. Woods’s remarks and a Q&A with reporters below.

Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

It’s a busy week for meetings about the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project. Mooresville’s Red Line Review Committee meets Tuesday morning. And what could turn out to be dueling meetings are scheduled Wednesday at Cornelius Town Hall – one with an anti-rail expert from the Cato Institute and another featuring a panel discussion with large property owners who support the project. Meanwhile, owners of property in downtown Davidson along the rail line have been invited to a Wednesday afternoon meeting explaining how the proposed financing would work. Read the full story

Updated Monday, Feb. 6
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Growth plans at both the Learn Works after-school program and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Charlotte are bringing changes at the Ada Jenkins Center on Gamble Street. The Boys & Girls Club’s lease for two classrooms at the center is ending, and officials say they’re looking for a new location where they can expand. And Learn Works plans to take over the space as it tries to meet demand for its services for kids in grades 1-5. Read the full story

Retired Cornelius Commissioner Jim Bensman says Norfolk Southern executives told him two years ago there were concerned about the Red Line rail project’s design and whether freight and passenger traffic could co-exist along the line. Now, in two letters released recently, those concerns are now public. In a commentary on CorneliusNews.net, Mr. Bensman writes: “All the municipalities should cease their evaluations of this project until the Norfolk Southern situation is resolved.”

Consultant Mark Briggs explained the rail line financing plan Tuesday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson residents and elected officials at a public hearing on Tuesday quizzed consultants and offered their opinions about the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project between Mooresville and Charlotte. Some wondered about plans to raise money through special tax districts, and about the business reasons for pitching the project as both a freight and commuter line. Others worried how the system might affect Davidson traffic and affordable housing.

About 50 people including town staff filled the Town Hall board room for the meeting. Speakers came from throughout town, and their questions and comments ranged from deep suspicion to support of the $452 million rail project. Read the full story

Updated Wednesday, 7:52 a.m.
By DAVID BORAKS
and CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

The Red Line Regional Rail Project is facing another major roadblock this week: Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the tracks it would run on, is balking at the idea of commuter and freight rail operating on the same line.

In a meeting with N.C. Department of Transportation officials Jan. 11 – the first between the DOT and Norfolk Southern since planning for the rail was revived last year – company officials raised a long list of questions. And in a followup letter to the DOT’s top Red Line official, the company’s passenger policy director expressed “fundamental” concerns over the feasibility of the Red Line project. (See the text of the letter below.) Read the full story

From left, Bobby Cashion with John Bradford, David Peete with Robert Reed, and Matthew Hayes with Duke Energy's Tim Gause. (Deborah Young Studio photos)

Lake Norman Chamber has given North Meck High School principal Matthew Hayes its annual Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award, for his work at the school and in the community amid rapid change. The award was one of several handed out at the chamber’s annual meeting last Thursday, Jan. 19, at Havana Banquet and Ballroom in Cornelius. John Bradford, owner of Park Avenue Properties, was named Business Person of the Year. And Huntersville town planner David F. Peete was picked as the chamber’s 2011 Volunteer of the Year. Read the full story

Davidson’s Town Board on Tuesday will devote its monthly work session to a presentation and public hearing on the proposed financial plan for Red Line Regional Rail Project. The Red Line also is the topic of a Lake Norman Chamber Focus Friday issues session Friday morning in Cornelius. And also this week, there’s a MI-Connection board of directors meeting Thursday.

Meanwhile, a planned meeting of the Cornelius Rail Task Force that had been scheduled Thursday has been canceled. Read the full story