Some residents want to put the brakes on a plan to close a railroad crossing they say is valuable to the Neelyville area.
Butler County officials say nixing the closure at County Road 268 could result in the loss of more than $900,000 for the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park overpass project, which has already started.
"I've been working with them (Union Pacific) to see if they'll allow us to trade," Presiding Commissioner Vince Lampe told the small group that attended the Wednesday morning commission meeting, adding later, "We were under the impression this was a low volume crossing, where it wouldn't disturb a lot of people."
A petition containing approximately 80 names was presented to the commission, along with pleas from local businesses and the Neelyville School District.
The crossing is located south of Neelyville and west of Highway EE. Comments are being taken by the Missouri Department of Transportation through Dec. 29.
"There's a lot of times that we have to use that crossing because there's a train that's blocked our main intersection for longer than they're supposed to," said Brad Hagood, Neelyville schools superintendent, adding, "When our roads flood at Neelyville, that's the only road that doesn't flood, that can be used to get out from that particular area.
"Not only do busses use that, fire trucks may have to use that. Ambulances may have to use that crossing to get around at times."
The crossing also sees heavy use by farming equipment, residents said.
The county has agreed to close one railroad crossing in the county in exchange for $413,000 from Union Pacific and $500,000 from MoDOT, said Lampe. The money is already allocated for a railroad overpass for Cravens Road.
"I want this overpass as much as anybody here, but I vehemently disagree with the idea of selling off our infrastructure," said Qulin resident Bob Janes, who farms in the area of the proposed closure. "(Once) it's closed, it's closed forever. It's done. It's gone. You know it. I know it.
"I know you guys have looked hard. I know you're in a crunch, but there's got to be a better way of coming up with the revenue than selling off our county infrastructure."
Neelyville farmer Jarred Webster asked the commission to discard the idea of making any crossing closures.
"I know $1 million for a crossing sounds like a lot of money, but ... in 50 years, $1 million won't sound like a lot of money," he said. "I agree the commission needs more money, needs a lot more money, but selling off our fixed assets and our infrastructure is not a sustainable option."
The county lives off a one-cent sales tax that provides about $800,000 a year to maintain more than 800 miles of road, according to the discussion by commissioners.
The $4.2 million overpass project, which broke ground in July, is funded entirely by outside funds.
The county repeatedly sought other sources to close their funding gap, Lampe said.
"Nobody would come up to the plate to help us at all," Lampe said, noting a use tax previously voted down by residents would have made up $400,000 of the shortage. "We've got to figure a way to pay for our overpass. I don't know what we're going to do."
Butch Anderson, eastern district commissioner, also said there is concern about the safety of railroad crossings.
That means crossings need more lights and safety equipment, not reductions, Webster said.