Railroad spur to be removed

A section of an old railway spur will be removed after the Trinity City Council approved a measure on Thursday. Courtesy photo

By Tony Farkas
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TRINITY —Deemed a traffic hazard as well as drainage issue, the Trinity City Council on Thursday approved removing a spur of railway on Pinecrest Road.

City Manager Steven Jones said the rails belong to Union Pacific but have been abandoned for some time.

“When there’s a train coming through town, people use the back roads (including Pinecrest),” he said. “Vehicles hang, we constantly have to fill in potholes, and it’s drainage hazard, which ultimately causes an issue of the quality of the roads.”

Jones said that former city manager Buddy Drake had the paperwork prepared but never finalized. It will be finalized and removed, he said, now that the council has given its approval.

The city currently is looking to begin program of street repair, and this is one glaring issue the city has, Jones said.

In other business, the council:

• discussed repairs at the city baseball fields, which includes the restrooms and the playground;

• heard a presentation from Pineywoods Trash about taking over trash service for the city, which would mean a 10 percent increase in costs. No action was taken;

• tabled a discussion about security cameras;

•  discuss contracts for the city’s $4.2 million infrastructure grant, which when signed will allow the city to move forward on construction and design; and

• approved order of election, which will be held May 7.