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From an Orange County notice:

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Jan. 6, 2009

Contact: Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth, 732-1270 Ext. 86
or margaret.hauth@hillsboroughnc.org

Hillsborough Senior Planner Tom King, 732-1270 Ext. 73
or tom.king@hillsboroughnc.org

Rail Station Task Force Seeks Input on Suggested Hillsborough Sites

HILLSBOROUGH — The Rail Station Task Force wants the public’s input on suggested rail station sites in Hillsborough and the task force’s criteria for rating the sites.

The task force — appointed in the fall by the Hillsborough Town Board and Orange County Board of Commissioners — will host an open house from 4 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Big Barn Convention Center. The advisory committee will discuss a number of suggested rail station sites and the rating criteria it will use for formally recommending a site to the two boards.

A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m. and repeated at 7 p.m. The information also will be available on a drop-in basis.

During the open house, the task force also will seek feedback about the relative desirability of the suggested sites and comments and suggestions about changes to the rating criteria. Participants will be able to give their feedback verbally or in writing.

The advisory task force, which first met in November, was created to define the criteria for selecting a train station site and to recommend a location. It also is charged with investigating the established funding criteria and procedural steps to proceed with development of a station and with describing a schedule of tasks to be accomplished prior to initiation of service.

The task force includes representatives of the Hillsborough Planning Board, the Orange County Unified Transportation Board, the Orange County Transportation Services Board, the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, the Orange County Economic Development Commission and the Walkable Hillsborough Coalition and three citizens.

An Amtrak and N.C. Department of Transportation analysis, completed in the summer, indicated a rail stop in Hillsborough could be financially viable, with an estimated net gain of about $56,000. Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens had formally requested the study on the possibility of a rail stop on behalf of a number of citizens.

Based on costs at that time, construction was estimated at about $1 million for a platform with lighting and a canopy and $5 million to $6 million for a station building.

The task force is expected to report on the site selection Feb. 19 at the joint meeting of the Hillsborough Town Board and Orange County Commissioners. Its work is expected to be completed by the end of May. Further opportunities for comment will be made available as the selection narrows.

The Big Barn is located at 388 Ja Max Drive. Minimal refreshments will be available.

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