Chillicothe moving forward with rail-trail deal

The City of Chillicothe is moving forward with a rail-trails deal that has been the subject of study and discussion for several years, according to this Chillicothe News article:

The Missouri Blueways Map shows the Chillicothe-Brunswich Shortline, which starts in Livingstone County and ends near the Missouri River in Chariton County, as partly "abandoned" and partly "active"

The city of Chillicothe will spend $10 to buy back the 29 miles of railroad right-of-way which it sold in 2006 for nearly $1 million.

Council members voted 3-2 Monday night to purchase the right-of-way which runs from just south of Chillicothe to a point near Brunswick. They also authorized the mayor to sign documents railbanking the right-of-way so that, in the future, it could be turned into a rails-to-trails project for public recreational use. . . .

As part of the 2006 agreement with the city, Montoff applied to the federal Surface Transportation Board to have the land railbanked, which essentially allows for the land to be used for a purpose other than a railroad. The federal board approved that application two weeks ago.

In workshop discussions, City Attorney Robert Cowherd said liability would not be an issue for several reasons, including application of the Missouri recreational land act which states that if land is owned by a public entity and opened for public use the property owner usually is not liable. He also stated that if the city developed
a trail on the land it could be considered part of the city's park system and would, therefore, be covered by the city's insurance policy.