Abbeville Mayor's entire letter addressing Rails to Trails

(Here is a copy of a letter from Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White that was read at Tuesday's Vermilion and Iberia Parish Railroad Development District Board and Commissioners meeting held in Abbeville. She was not able to attend the meeting. White gave her thoughts on Rails to Trails and how it could be a positive for Abbeville).

Good Afternoon Homer,

Since I am at a conference and unable to attend the meeting today, I would like a copy of this email presented to each member of the commission for the record and also would like to get a copy to the police jury. I apologize for the formatting. I am writing this on my cell.
I hope this email finds you well. I would have like to attend this public meeting of the Railroad Commission, but I am out of town at conference building connections to resources for our community. I did request the meeting be postponed to allow me to attend and address the commission in person, and to present the facts as I know them, however this request was declined.

It is my hope that proponents in support of exploring this idea attend today to show there is as much, if not more, support than there is opposition. However I realize that is not likely due to the scheduling.

> I have offered a meeting to discuss this with Mr Campisi, but so far that offer has been declined. I am a new mayor with new vision and a different approach to leadership, I believe anyone who has worked with me will speak to my ability, drive and willingness to sacrifice for my team and community. Many individuals and businesses see the potential in rails to trails and would like to see it happen. I am willing to share my thoughts and my larger vision for the community with anyone who is open to listen, and I don’t hide my enthusiasm for these projects.
Rather than sitting down and having a conversation to gather facts, Mr. Campisi and others have opted to flood city hall and other entities with public records requests. Since Mr Campisi was once the mayor of Abbeville and knows the work to meet such requests, I can only assume he took this approach to bury the city with paperwork, wasting valuable time and public resources. This type of regressive mindset is what continues to hold back our community and our parish. It is certainly not for the betterment of our community.

> I have always saw potential in building trails as a means to grow tourism and improve community health. I am in full support of vetting the rails to trails project for feasibility and merit and I also believe this could be a transformative project for our local economy. I have seen the positive impact trails are having in communities both large and small around Louisiana and the United States.
> As all of you already know, the railroad has not been abandoned, but I, like many, know that there will likely never be another train on the tracks for a variety of reasons, mostly lack of industry/demand and lack of maintenance by the railroad company.
I have been involved in many discussions about the potential rails to trails project. It is currently an idea being vetted and explored to see if it is possible and/or feasible. There have been no meetings with the owners of the railroad, only information gathering to understand what it would take and what the process entails to know how it could happen and what funding sources might be available if it becomes a project. There have also been discussions with other public officials to gather knowledge, feedback, and hopefully one day support ahead of speaking to the railroad.
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There are members of our community who have visited successful trails in other areas. They are advocating and are doing most of the work on information gathering as proponents of the project and I applaud them and support them for the work they are doing.

I will request a meeting with the railroad to address the lack of maintenance of their asset in Abbeville, which is currently a hazard, and discuss future plans they may have for the segment. After that meeting, we will have a better picture of what is possible and what is not possible and be better suited to have public meetings to answer questions and concerns. Which will need to be addressed. I hope to also have that same meeting with all of you in the near future. I have been attending to my father in the final days of his life. That and running the city has been my priority since May. I hope you can appreciate my prioritization.

This potential project, as with anything significant, will take years of planning, designing, financial and operational planning to accomplish, but I think it is something worth looking in to. I will continue to work on it with community volunteers to vet the project as my schedule allows. I think it is my responsibility as a leader to do so.

Any concerns over trails should and would be addressed individually and in public meetings if it is determined that it is a viable project. That answer will only be known once there is a conversation with the actual railroad which in itself is a difficult task.
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Over years projects like these spur redevelopment which decreases blight and reduces crime. For this to happen, it is important that it projects are well planned, built and promoted correctly and properly maintained.

Active, walkable areas in communities improve safety and yield higher property value. Creating a better quality of life in our community through enhanced recreational opportunities will make Abbeville and our surrounding communities a communities of choice for people looking to enjoy retirement outside of the bigger cities as they look for a slower pace of life and also for those looking to escape repeated damage from storms along the coast. This can further address blight and crime by filling homes with people more vested in our community. In addition, projects like trails can also be designed in ways that help to mitigate flood risks and build resilience which over time helps bring down the cost of insurance.

I hope that each of you take time to read this message and find time to discuss this further as schedules allow. Thank you for serving our community.
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> Mayor Roslyn White
> City of Abbeville
> Office: 337-898-4206