[Durham INC] Duke Belt Line

[John Martin]

INC Delegates,

Delegates, please remember the resolution that is before INC, which we will vote on at our February meeting.  Please ask your neighborhood to take a stand on this.

For those of you who may not have been at the January meeting, or who have forgotten, here's the background:  The abandoned rail line (known as the "Duke Belt Line") that runs through Old North Durham, Duke Park, touches on Trinity Park, and continues downtown is currently owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.  The City of Durham has been interested in purchasing it in order to turn it into a walking/biking trail.  It is currently an overgrown, trash-strewn, no-man's land.  The sticking point has been the price:  the railroad wants about six million dollars.  On and off again negotiations have been going on for years.

The Duke Park Neighborhood has proposed the following resolution, which will be voted on by the InterNeighborhood Council at our February meeting:

"Whereas, our current trail system is a treasured asset to the citizens of Durham, which provides a source of healthy enjoyment and recreation, as well as an alternative to fossil fuels means of transportation, and

Whereas, abandoned railroad lines currently are acting as avenues for criminals to reach our houses, and


Whereas, an actively used walking trail is a far better thing to have running between our neighborhoods than an abandoned railroad line,


Therefore, the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham urges the wise organizations and elected officials who are working toward this outstanding effort to add more walking trails in the City of Durham. This includes efforts to purchase the Duke Beltline or other abandoned track, and urges the railroad officials to come walk the potential trails."

I intend to ask the Old North Durham Neighborhood Association board to endorse this resolution at our regular February board meeting.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

John Martin, President
InterNeighborhood Council of Durham
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