Drafter
Clerk 10/04/2007
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A MOTION relating to the acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Eastside rail corridor right-of-way rail/trail dual usage agreement, solid waste management and a call for immediate executive action.
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WHEREAS, in 2003, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad ("BNSF") announced its intent to divest itself of the Eastside rail corridor, a one-of-a-kind forty-seven-mile-long corridor vital to the economic future of six separate Eastside jurisdictions, and
WHEREAS, in 2005, the Puget Sound Regional Council in partnership with Washington state Department of Transportation obtained federal grant funds to conduct a study of this vital corridor, which was released in 2007, and
WHEREAS, in June 2005, the county council appropriated $3,800,000 to further the acquisition of this corridor, and
WHEREAS, on February 26, 2007, the chief executive officer of the Port of Seattle, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of BNSF and the county executive signed a memorandum of understanding stating their intent to enter into a definitive transaction regarding the land and infrastructure elements of a purchase and sale agreement within one hundred eighty days, and
WHEREAS, at a July 25 Seattle Rotary Club Meeting, the Port of Seattle through its new chief executive officer rejected the proposal as originally envisioned but proposed an alternative partnership and transaction was possible, and
WHEREAS, King County councilmembers, the Port of Seattle and the King County executive have since been in discussions to find a collaborative and mutually beneficial way to acquire this vital transportation corridor through a regional partnership, and
WHEREAS, King County and the Port of Seattle have many mutual interests and shared goals, such as: infrastructure improvements, which make the region more globally competitive; improved freight mobility for commerce; collaborating on airport operations to ensure preservation an...
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