WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Last night the Bloomington city council granted preliminary approval for the Parks and Recreation department to buy the former CSX railway switchyard, a property the city has sought for almost a decade. The switchyard is located along the eastern edge of a one point two mile stretch of the southern part of the B-Line Trail. The 27-acre property is bounded by Hillside Drive on the north, Clear Creek and largely commercial property on the east, and vacated rail corridors on the south and west. It served as a railroad switchyard from 1847 until 2004. Sample testing revealed petroleum and metals in the soil, and the council grilled Parks and Rec director Mick Renneisen on plans for environmental remediation. The CSX railway is a relative bargain for the city – at a purchase price of $400,000, the city is acquiring this property well below its appraised value. Approximately $600,000 is available in Parks General Fund for this project and the $200,000 remaining after the purchase will likely be used to help fund the master planning process. The department will be exploring use of state brownfield money for some of the future remediation and development costs, as it did successfully on the B-Line Trail remediation. It would also be the first time the State has funded the conversion of a switchyard to recreational space. Councilman Tim Mayer leads the discussion in this WFHB radio exclusive.
