Title
Supervisor Sweeney and Library Director recommending the Board conceptually approve a proposal for the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park to be located on the Sacramento Placerville Transportation Corridor (SPTC) in the town of El Dorado, and requesting the following:
1) Authorize the relocation of the recently recovered rail from the Missouri Flat site to the El Dorado site;
2) Authorize the relocation of other railroad accessories to the El Dorado site as appropriate; and
3) Direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Museum staff to work together on the development of the El Dorado Historical Railroad Park site plan and determine the best use of already allocated funding.
FUNDING: Accumulative Capital Outlay Fund.
Body
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost: No change to Net County Cost.
Background:
The El Dorado County Historical Museum has been collecting, preserving and restoring artifacts from the County's railroading past for many years. It has long been the goal of Historical Museum Commissioners, volunteers and staff to have a facility dedicated to their interpretation and presentation to the public.
Railroads were very significant to the economic development of the county, starting with narrow gauge logging railroads and ending with the Southern Pacific Railroad line from Sacramento to Placerville which allowed local products to be sold in a world wide market. The last logging railroad shut down in 1953 and the last Southern Pacific train ran in 1986.
The plan for a historical railroad park has been discussed and refined for many years. Volunteers have developed a conceptual El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park plan for the physical layout, operations, and growth in phases as funds and other resources become available. The facility will operate as a satellite facility of the County Museum. The plan will be developed in collaboration with DOT/Facilities, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Trails Advisory Committee, and in keeping with the SPTC Master Plan as a recreation corridor.
The El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park has the possibility to provide a tourist destination and a resulting economic boost to the town of El Dorado and its surroundings. It will also attract a far reaching and passionate population of rail history fans to El Dorado County.
Reason for Recommendation:
As part of the development of the El Dorado Trail between Forni Road and Missouri Flat Road, rail was recently dismantled in what was the Diamond Springs Yard by Museum volunteers working with DOT staff and the contractor. That rail will be utilized in the first phase of the Railroad Park on the SPTC in El Dorado at no cost to the County, using volunteer labor. The site plan will be developed with the participation of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Trails Advisory Committee. This matter was conceptually approved by the Sacramento Placerville Transportation Corridor JPA on August 10, 2009.
Contact:
Mary Cory, Museum Administrator, 621-5828
Concurrences:
El Dorado County Historical Museum Commission
Sacramento Placerville Transportation Corridor Joint Powers Authority
El Dorado County Parks and Recreation Commission
El Dorado County Trails Advisory Committee