Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit announced last week it had received a $28 million grant through the Federal Railroad Administration that will be allotted to build out the rail system from Windsor to Healdsburg, a 5.5-mile extension that brings the regional commuter rail system closer to reality for Healdsburg residents.
The grant was part of a larger $32 million grant awarded through the Federal Railroad Administration, consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants. The rest of the grant is earmarked for the replacement of older, high-emission freight locomotives with lower-emission, environmentally sustainable locomotives, officials said.
The announcement adds impetus to the city’s scheduled community workshop to discuss the SMART commuter rail service coming to Healdsburg and a potential location for an in-city depot. That community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 19, from 6-7:30pm at the Healdsburg Senior Center, 133 Matheson St.
The Oct. 19 meeting will be another chance for residents to weigh in on the potential location of a passenger rail depot for Healdsburg. Although the city, in 1997, conducted hearings and produced recommendations to position the station at the former train depot on Hudson Street, the city council recently heard a proposal to place the station in the downtown area.
The upcoming meeting was promised at the Aug. 19 council meeting to gauge community interest in the in-town location of the SMART station. Following this, and perhaps other opportunities for community input, the issue is expected to come back to the council for their recommendation.
“There will be a brief presentation to provide some historical background information, more recent progress on the SMART extension and the purpose of the meeting,” said Larry Zimmer, the city’s Public Works & Transportation director.
Spanish-language translation will be available, along with light refreshments and an activity station for kids.
The recent grant adds to the tranche necessary to complete the northward extension of SMART, following the June 28 award from the California Transportation Commission of $30 million that enabled SMART to begin engineering and construction of critical segments of the Healdsburg extension, along with other related projects.
The full cost of the extension project is expected to be $160 million. With the recent grants, $106 million is now available.
Community meeting on SMART is Thursday, Oct. 19, 6pm at the Healdsburg Senior Center.
Put the train station behind Hotel Healdsburg. Keep the tourists downtown.