Clark County votes to join Northwoods Rail Transit Commission
By Valorie Brecht The Clark County Board of Supervisors would like to see more economic activity powered by railroads in the county. In light of that, the board voted to pass a resolution at its last meeting that will make the county a member of the Northwoods Rail Transit Commission (NRTC), a coalition of 21 counties in Wisconsin and Northern Michigan advocating for quality rail service in the region. Marathon County is the only county adjacent to Clark County that is already a part of the commission.
At the meeting, Sheila Nyberg, executive director of the Clark County Economic Development Corporation and Tourism Bureau (CCEDC), spoke on why she felt it would be worth it for the county to join the coalition, the main goal being to reactivate a roughly 27-mile stretch of rail from Spencer to Medford that the railroad company stopped using, and to increase other railroad opportunities in the county.
“It is beneficial to join the NRTC to gain strength in numbers and be in concert with others who are dealing with similar issues and opportunities in railroad as we are,” said Nyberg. “Many of these northern counties in the NRTC have the same rail line owners as we do.”
Clark County has three rail line operators: Union Pacific, Canadian National (CN) and Watco/FOXY. The Spencer to Medford line, also known as the Medford Sub, was recently purchased from CN by Watco/FOXY. The Wisconsin line grouping is under FOXY, short for the Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System.
The Medford Sub is a dead-end line, as there are no other lines going out of Medford. There was a line from Medford to Prentice years ago, but that line was decommissioned and turned into a non-motorized recreational trail, the Pine Line Rail Trail, which opened around 1990 and is used for hiking, biking, horseback riding and snowmobiling.
FOXY embargoed the Medford Sub eight months after purchasing it.
“Their commitment was to continue to operate and grow, but it only took eight months for them to stop that,” said Nyberg. “The reason they gave is because of line conditions.”
There have been no trains coming into Medford for at least the past two years. The line north of Perkins Street has been red-flagged at least two years prior to that. A section of track north of Spencer also has been removed.
Nyberg was hopeful that legal action could be taken to get FOXY to restore rail service.
“We would have to work through the process and see what steps could be taken. It’s legal conversations we would need to have,” said Nyberg. “The old documents say it’s supposed to be operational. It would take some time, but it would be helpful to be part of this commission because they have attorneys and people familiar with rail.”
County board member Chuck Rueth asked what products would be transported on the track that the county doesn’t already have.
“The communities on that line have individual
Please see Northwoods Rail, page 8 Northwoods Rail
y from p. 1 partners all along that line. Medford has a lot of companies... Nestle and the window plant have had supporters,' Nyberg replied.
Currently, Nestle gets its shipments in through Owen, which is on the main CN line.
'The question is, will it pay for itself?' said county board member Leonard Stoecker. 'The railroad company has to look at the money generated by the shippers and if that's enough to pay for the maintenance of the rail line. That's what it's ultimately going to come down to and we all know it.'
The county board voted in favor of joining the rail commission, with 22 yes votes, one no and six absent.
Rail transit commissions can be formed by intergovernmental agreement under Wis. Stats. 66.0301. It will cost Clark County $500 in annual dues to be part of this commission, but the county won't have to pay until next year. Clark County will have two representatives on the NRTC, which could either be one county board member and one CCEDC board member, or two CCEDC board members.
Nyberg said she had also supplied this information to Taylor County, which is not part of the NRTC. The TRG reached out to the Medford Area Development Foundation to see what local officials' interest level was in joining the commission.
Sue Emmerich and Billie Hartwig of the Medford Area Development Foundation issued the following statement: 'At this time, the City of Medford and Taylor County are not actively looking to be involved with the Northwoods Rail Transit Commission. When the time presents itself, we will be looking at a recreational trail option.'
'Rail has a great economic impact, but all our individual businesses have moved on from rail, so it's just not plausible to bring it back,' Hartwig added. Other business Also at the board meeting, the board approved several resolutions, including Resolution 22-7-24 regarding opening the courthouse all day on Veterans Day. The resolution states that the county had previously closed the courthouse from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Veterans Day for a remembrance program coordinated by the Clark County Office of Personnel and Veterans Service Office (VSO); however, now the Personnel Committee was recommending the courthouse remain open and that the VSO no longer coordinate Veterans Day programming. The county board rescinded its earlier motion to close the courthouse on Veterans Day and passed this new resolution to keep it open. However, 'the County Board of Supervisors supports County employee use of paid time off to participate, attend, or host activities throughout the community in recognition and support of Veterans Day, provided appropriate staff coverage is available within each department to maintain County operations,' the resolution stated.
The county board passed another resolution advocating for an inpatient behavioral health facility for northern Wisconsin.
'Whereas, recent closures of facilities places a higher burden on the facilities that remain; and whereas, local law enforcement are tasked with providing transportation of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and they often spend hours waiting for facilities to respond to requests for in-patient beds,' the resolution states.
It further states that many individuals in crisis end up at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. According to Google reviews, the Winnebago facility has a 1.9 out of 5 stars rating, with many individuals reporting a 'prison-like' atmosphere and that staying there worsened their mental state.
It also creates a financial burden for Clark County to transport individuals there frequently.
'The great distance traveled puts a financial strain on counties and local municipal law enforcement agencies, not to mention the emotional strain experienced by the individuals being transported for several hours,' the resolution states.
The resolution encourages the state legislature and governor to provide funding to establish an in-patient acute behavioral health facility for northern Wisconsin and encourages other counties to sign on. The resolution will be sent to the governor, state legislators, Wisconsin Counties Association and northern county clerks.
Along those same lines, the county board passed a resolution requesting the State of Wisconsin to provide state general purpose revenue funding to cover the full nonfederal share of Medical Assistance Community Support Programs and crisis services, as currently the county does not receive full reimbursement.
'Whereas, counties are required to provide Crisis intervention services including an emergency mental health services program ... and whereas, the state pays the full cost of most MA services, when it comes to county-based CSP and Crisis mental health services, the county finances the cost of the services up front, and receives MA reimbursement for only the federal share for that service, and whereas, Community Aids funding has not kept pace over the years with increased county costs for services,' the resolution states.
Both the resolution advocating for a mental health facility and the one requesting additional mental health funding passed unanimously.
