In his first year as mayor of Yacolt, Ian Shealy had a lot on his plate; now the planned expansion of the Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR) looms.
On Monday, April 8, the Yacolt Town Council planned to vote on a resolution to oppose PVJR’s planned expansion to industrial use through Yacolt. The meeting took place after press time, however.
“My initial thoughts are that this proposed expansion of the railroad for industrial use is a negative thing for our town and our community,” Shealy said prior to the council meeting. “So I’m looking forward to hearing what the council feels and what they think. I’ve spoken to quite a few people in our community, and there’s a lot of people against this coming through our town because it does cut off half of our town.”
The Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR) “freight-rail dependent use” plan in Chelatchie would allow the shipment of aggregate through rail in Clark County, according to previous reporting by The Reflector.
In Yacolt, the rail line splits the quiet town in half, almost literally. On the west side of the tracks, West Yacolt Road extends nearly half a mile, while on the east side, East Yacolt Road extends just beyond half a mile.
The tracks do not cross just Yacolt Road, however; they cross four streets in just under half a mile in Yacolt.
“Basically, the major concerns that most people share in our community about this is the fact that it does go right through the center of town,” Shealy said. “The center of our town is not a long stretch of road, and none of the railroad crossings have signals on [them] or updated nor
