The purpose of getting a train station for Amtrak and possibly other passenger trains at Donner Summit is three-fold:
1) Economic development, including ski resorts, current and future businesses, and
various types of overnight accommodations;
2) An alternative to Interstate 80;
3) Complete the Capitol Corridor passenger rail system (eventually to Reno/Sparks).

The eastbound and westbound California Zephyrs already pass through our area, and so does the Reno Fun Train. These are all Amtrak-related trains. The Capitol Corridor commuter trains will eventually go all the way to Reno, starting with two train sets per day, eventually increasing to four. Other future possibilities may include a ski train, one or more charter trains, and Union Pacific excursion trains. By the way, a siding right-of-way just east of the Soda Springs crossing and next to the double-track mainline still exists, and I believe the property is still in the hands of the railroad. Of course, in decades past, many passenger trains stopped in our area, as it was a prime destination point long ago.

I've spoken with representatives from Sugar Bowl, Soda Springs, and Royal Gorge ski resorts, and all have expressed interest in the station. Sugar Bowl, specifically Greg Murtha at the resort, has participated for several years in meetings with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, an agency set up to further the influence of the Capitol Corridor trains. There has been progress, and money spent, to a certain point, but an impasse has been reached for a couple of reasons.

The main reason nothing has happened recently is because Union Pacific has stated very clearly that they are absolutely not interested in adding either a siding or more capacity to their right-of-way for any passenger trains. They are currently building a new route through Reno which will increase their capacity for freight, not passenger, movement. Also, they are still recovering economically from two recent mergers that hit them pretty hard in the pocketbook. There's no extra money for anything other than freight development.

Another reason is that funding for Amtrak is not on the Bush priority list. In fact, the Bush administration's latest proposal was to deny Amtrak any money for the current fiscal year, a strategy that ultimately failed. This yearly uncertainty, however, has spooked Union Pacific even more, and has left Amtrak with very little money for even basic maintenance.

The only way this will get off the ground is by a concerted effort from our group, the area's businesses, and support from state and local politicians. It would also help to have an Amtrak-friendly federal administration. California is one of only two regions where passenger railroading is doing relatively well, and that's a very positive aspect for realizing a station at Soda Springs. However, at this point in time, we're playing a waiting game. Money talks.

Stay tuned. As Jeanne and I progress to moving up to the area permanently, I'll be spending more and more time on this issue. Please call or e-mail me with any comments.

Thanks,

Tom Appelbaum
(510) 816-7720
appelbaums@aol.com

The annual membership meeting was held this morning at the Doner Summit Lodge from 10am to Noon. The current board presented a summary of our progress since October and we nominated and elected a new board of directors for next year. We are fortunate to have four new board members join with five of the previous board members:

• Daniel Wexler (President)
  
• Carrie Hoyt (Vice President) New
  
• Ron Kolbe (Treasurer)
  
• Pat Malberg (Secretary) New
  
• Jim Tompson
  
• Cheryl Paduano
  
• Star Hurley New
  
• Sara Taillon New
  
• John Kirrene
  

We had a wonderful summary of the current status of the Royal Gorge Van Norden project from Martin Bern of SLPOA, an update on the railroad crossing from Tom Appelbaum and John Kirrene and an update on the transition in the Fire Department.

The board had a quick meeting to elect new officers and set the next meeting date as July 7, at 6:30pm.

The residents of the Donner Summit support all the teachers of the
TTEA and recognize the value of their contribution to our community.
The teachers at all levels in the TTUSD are the critical component to
our children's education. As the cost of living in our region
continues to outpace the state average, it is deplorable that in a
region with a strong tax base, our teachers are not at salary parity
with other districts within our state. The school board must develop
a strategic plan to guarantee future funding for the highest caliber
of teacher.

We implore the School Board to explore alternative strategies to
finding funds to pay the high quality teachers we currently employ and
to provide the wages necessary to make it possible for new teachers to
join our district and live in our high-cost area. The school board
has failed to plan for the future, and there is no reason why our
teachers should bear the brunt of this failure. We all know the cost
of a strike, both to our children and to the district's coffers, is
much higher than a reasonable compromise.

The community of Donner Summit wants to extend our hand in support of
all the teachers of the entire district and help spread the enthusiasm
that helped save Donner Trail school. We believe that the school
board should apply the same logical thought processes and forward
thinking that was part of the decision to delay closure of Donner
Trail toward finding a solution to the negotiations with the teacher's
union. All involved know that we must find a way to reward our
teachers with the respect they deeply deserve.

Please come and attend the DSAA annual membership meeting on Saturday, June 11th at 10am at the Donner Summit Lodge (DSL). We need your support to help the DSAA continue to move forward as a voice for our community. Please consider becoming a board member for next year. We need your time to help drive forward.

It has been inspirational to see the community come together to help save Donner Trail. Let's keep this spirit alive as we strive to enhance and protect our wonderful region.

Please come out to help clean up our area after the snow melts. We meet at the Soda Springs General Store at 9am. Nancy Latimer, who has organized this community cleanup for over a decade now, will assign each small group a cleanup zone.

You will be given garbage bags and rubber gloves to pick up the melt-out trash in our areas. Other volunteers will drive around to pick up full bags and bring them to the dumpsters donated by local businesses.

Afterwards, we all go down to Truckee Regional Park for cold drinks, good food and good times!