Winchester Railyard

The Oregon Transportation Commission will discuss terminating ConnectOregon funding for the Winchester, Oregon Railyard in their monthly meeting today in Salem.
The move to approve termination of the grant was added to the agenda on Monday and provides little to no chance for public input on an issue that directly affects residents of Roseburg.
Three minutes has been allocated for the decision and nine others on the consent agenda. Up to 15 minutes of public input will be allowed at the end of the meeting – but after the decision will have already been made.
In July of 2006, the Oregon Transportation Commission awarded the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad 7.7 million dollars in ConnectOregon funding to relocate the CORP switching yard from downtown Roseburg to Winchester located about five miles North of town. The move was advertised as a way to remove the traffic jams that are created every time a long CORP train comes into the yard, just south of Oak and Washington Streets.
But once the closure of rail line to Coos Bay went into effect, work on the switching yard came to a halt and the OTC froze the ConnectOregon funds. Central Oregon and Pacific has already invested 1.9 million dollars of its own money in the yard. The railroad had purchased and graded the land. The next step was to lay down the rail.
The move appears to have also caught local officials by surprise. Representative Susan Morgan told the News-Review, “It sounds like they are pulling the plug.” Today's meeting starts at 9:30 in Salem.