Relax, everyone!

Let me add some clarification to this issue.

The current end-of-track on the old SP Placerville Branch is Missouri Flat Road in Diamond Springs. The few miles between Diamond Springs and Placerville were removed by SP prior to the sale of the line to a local Joint Powers Authority, and have since been converted to a Class 1 Bike Path. The proposal which will soon come before the El Dorado County Supervisors is the first project on this rail corridor to continue the Class 1 paved trail along the existing rail line. As part of that planning process, County DOT has developed two options: Option A, which will start the Rails-WITH-Trails concept at Missouri Flat Road without removing any rail, and Option B, which calls for the removal of another 1.42 miles of track in order to reduce costs.

The El Dorado County Parks and Recreation Commission recently heard this proposal, and very quickly rejected Option B in favor of Option A, Rails-WITH-Trails. As the PRC does not have the final say, and only has the power to make recomendations to the Board of Supervisors, it is very important that the public come out forcefully for Option A. ANY further removal of track on this historic rail corridor would have a devastating impact on the existing educational and recreational rail programs with only minor benefits to trails, and would unsettle YEARS of work by volunteers on BOTH sides of this issue, volunteers who have spent countless hours working towards concensus on the Rails-WITH-Trails Vision outlined by the Parks and Recreation Commission in January of 2012. Do NOT be swayed by the fringe groups who continue to lobby for rail removal! Please Join the County's own Parks and Recreation Commission in supporting Option A for this project!