Cohutta officials look to grant for railroad park to spur development

Jun. 24—Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick said when town officials heard the Georgia Department of Community Affairs had "about $60 or $70 million to go into small towns, community development projects, things that will spur economic development," they decided to think big.

The town has applied for a $2 million grant to turn five acres near downtown Cohutta into a railroad-themed park.

"We have property across the (Norfolk Southern railroad) track that used to be part of the volunteer fire department's training center," Shinnick said. "We've been cleaning that up with help from the county, and we think that would be a great place for the park. And building on the railroad theme could help us bring in people from outside Cohutta."

Shinnick said the town already draws train watchers from across the region.

"People will grab an ice cream and stand in the parking lot of (the Downtown Creamery) and watch the trains go by," he said. "This will be an even better facility for doing that."

The town has partnered with the Cohutta Modern Scale Railway Society on the project. Based in Cohutta, the society is a group of model railroad enthusiasts from across North Georgia.

Ed Painter, treasurer of the Cohutta Modern Scale Railway Society and a noted railroad photographer, said the park would be one-of-a-kind.

"We want to get a building within the park that can house a model railway," he said. "We'd have regular hours where people can come and enjoy the model railway and learn more about the hobby of model railways. There would be a railroad viewing platform with an overhead cover to keep people out of the rain or the sun. The park itself would be a regular park, with a playground and picnic tables. It wouldn't just be railroads. But railroads would be the primary focus."

Painter said Virtual Railfan, a company that provides online video from train-watching platforms from across the nation, would set up cameras so people across the country could watch trains as they pass through Cohutta.

During the past two years, downtown Cohutta has seen a renaissance, with several new businesses opening. The park is within walking distance of those businesses, and Shinnick said he envisions people grabbing something from one of the restaurants or bringing their own meal and having a picnic in the park.

"There would be an educational aspect as well," he said. "School groups could come up here and learn more about railroads and model railroads."

If the town gets the grant, it would have to put up a local match of 10%, or up to $200,000.

"But that doesn't have to be in money," said Shinnick. "It can be in-kind services, the value of the land. We've already met that just in the work we've already done."

Painter said the model railroad would be a modern one.

"I'm 72. My model railroad is 1964 to 1972," he said. "But the people who would do this are younger, in their 20s and 30s, so the model railroad this park would have would be 2000 to current. Modern stuff. That would attract a younger crowd."

Shinnick said the building would be between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet.

He said they should find out if they get the grant by the end of July.

"If we don't get the grant, we have already done the planning and the basics, and we will search for other funding opportunities," he said.