At the request of the Greenville & Western Railroad, the Town of Williamston has begun the process to abandon or permanently close a portion of Green Street.
The Town is publishing a notice this week that it intends to officially file a petition in the Court of Common Pleas for Anderson County seeking to abandon or permanently close a portion of Green Street where it crosses the railroad right-of-way.
Town Attorney Rame L. Campbell is the Attorney handling the petition for the Town.
During a recent meeting, Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) authorizing the Mayor to close a portion of Green St. in response to a request by the Greenville & Western Railroad to close the street at the railroad crossing. The crossing had already been temporarily closed while the G&WRR was in the process of replacing railroad cross ties.
The street, including the crossing, was also scheduled for paving soon.
The issue had come up at the June meeting and was tabled so that the Town could receive input from people that would be most affected.
The Town sent out a public notice and letter to residents and only three residents of Green Street who were opposed to the crossing being closed came before Council. Those three residents later said they were in support as long as they could still cross the railroad as pedestrians.
Mayor Burgess said the town would request that it could be used as a pedestrian crossing, but closed to vehicles, with posts and signage instead of berms planned by the railroad.
Burgess said the G&W Railroad has worked with the Town on other projects and they have a good relationship with each other. He said the railroad could continue with plans to close the crossing regardless whether the town supported the proposal or not.
A resolution to support the judicial closing of the railroad crossing was unanimously approved by Council at their July meeting. The issue will go before a circuit court judge for a final decision.
