A deserted railroad that connects St. Lawrence, Lewis and Jefferson counties could be productive once again. As our Caitlin Landers shows us, those involved in rail development are optimistic about its potential use.
It's the sound rail project leaders are hoping to hear again.
"We're ripe for re-development once we get this rail in," says St. Lawrence County IDA Member Mark Hall.
The railroad connects Newton Falls to Carthage. Businesses frequently used the rail, but that all stopped in the 1990s. But the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency said almost $11 million in grants could bring it back to use.
"It's abandoned, it hasn't gone into too bad of disrepair. There was no maintenance done on it. Which is why we needed this grant to get this contruction work done to bring it back up to standards," said Hall.
Restoring all 46 miles of track means bringing potential to the railroad. That also means opportunity for the Benson Mine property.
"There's employment opportunities and economic activity to be had by the processing, shopping and ultimate use of those materials," says St. Lawrence County IDA CEO Patrick Kelly.
The Benson Mine Property Caretaker said there's at least several million tons of rocks that can be used for construction like roads and rails, as well as home use like ceramics or counter tops.
"It's just sitting here waiting and it has all been moved once. So,what we're hoping is that we can peddle it, create some jobs and make this place prisitine again," said Benson Mine Property Caretaker George Persson.
As plans move forward in the rail restoration, it brings more than jobs for the community. It brings hope.