Supervisors approve moving forward on Newton Township railroad easement after environmental review plan

A majority of Winnebago County supervisors voted to authorize staff to draft an easement agreement to cross an abandoned railroad bed on property owned by Dan Ryerson in Newton Township and to return the red-lined document for legal review and final board approval. The board’s action authorizes moving forward with an agreement rather than approving a final construction alignment.

The presenter told the board that the project team initially considered a south-side alignment but identified wetlands and dense tree cover there. “What about the north? … there’s actually a road or something there as well and there’s not near as many trees,” the presenter said, recommending the “300T East on the north end” as the preferred option with the option to relocate if environmental studies find the north alignment is not constructable. The presenter said environmental surveys are not scheduled to begin until March or April.

The presenter said the county conservation has managed the railroad corridor and that the project team will include tiling and compaction language in the easement to restore any disturbed agricultural tiling and to pay for compaction where the project disturbs the easement area. They also said the team has asked the county attorney and the project’s attorney to exchange drafts directly; Kelsey was identified as the staff contact for the county’s review.

A supervisor made a motion to proceed with drafting the easement agreement and to circulate the red-line to supervisors and county staff for review. The motion was seconded by Smith and approved by voice vote. The presenter said no signatures or binding commitments will be requested until both legal teams complete their review and red-line the agreement.

What happens next: staff will pursue the environmental studies, draft a written easement agreement and route that draft through Kelsey for county legal review. The board will consider the red-lined agreement at a future meeting before any signatures are requested.