BENTONVILLE -- A railroad spur Northwest Arkansas Community College officials deemed an eyesore and a safety risk has been removed from the college's campus.
The state Highway and Transportation Department acquired the spur from the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad this year, something the college tried to do two years ago. Workers recently finished pulling up the rails and ties.
The money’s there
Northwest Arkansas Community College has money in its capital fund to buy the old railroad land whenever the state makes the land available for purchase. One-third of the millage money the college receives each year goes into that fund, according to Evelyn Jorgenson, college president.
Source: Staff report
The college now hopes to acquire the land from the state to create a more "cohesive, united campus," said Evelyn Jorgenson, college president.
The spur ran from Water Tower Road west to the intersection of Southeast P and Southeast Eighth streets. About one-third of the spur ran through the college's campus. The railroad wasn't using the spur for transportation purposes anymore, but did use it to store rail cars.
"We're especially glad that we no longer have rusty railroad cars sitting out there that not only visually was not good, but it was dangerous," Jorgenson said, adding students occasionally would climb between the cars while walking across campus.
The college's board agreed in January 2014 to spend $2.5 million to buy the strip of land on which the rail spur sits. That price included removing rail, ties and signals, as well as leveling the land.
The college backed out of that deal, however, because the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad was unable to convey a clear title for the land.
"They had lots of old deeds that indicated if that land was ever not used by the railroad for a railroad, that it then would have to revert back to the original owner or his heirs," Jorgenson said.
The state acquired the spur for $2.1 million in preparation for a project that involves widening Interstate 49 and installing an interchange at Eighth Street. The railroad spur runs underneath the interstate.
Officials determined buying the land would be cheaper than accommodating the railroad in its construction plans, said Danny Straessle, public information officer for the Highway and Transportation Department.
Acquiring the land involved going through a condemnation process to obtain a clear title, Straessle said.
Randy Campbell, superintendent of railroad operations for Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, didn't return a phone message seeking comment.
The state intends to sell the land once the interchange project is complete, but that could be at least five years away, Straessle said.
Jorgenson said she hopes the college doesn't have to wait that long.
"We're talking" with the state, Jorgenson said. "There's some indications they're willing to move ahead. But we're not sure what the timeline is. As soon as we can acquire that strip of land, we're going to start moving earth and making it pretty."
Smoothing out the land on which the railroad sat would allow much more convenient access for pedestrians from one side of campus to the other.
The college has two versions of a facilities plan it approved in 2014. One version includes the railroad spur, the other doesn't. College officials devised the latter version with the hope the spur might someday be removed.
Marvin Galloway, dean of science and mathematics, has worked for the college for 25 years. He started before the college had a campus.
While acknowledging the college still must work out a deal with the state, he said he's "ecstatic" about the idea of removing the barrier the railroad posed.
"It's been a long time coming," Galloway said. "We're actually finally fusing these two parts of campus together. That's very satisfying to me to see that."
NW News on 10/15/2016