Carbon County rail officials want to see how much portions of the county-owned railroad are worth.

On Tuesday, the county railroad commission voted 3-1 to authorize the surveying of portions of the railroad that the county wishes to retain, as well as accept the proposal from Ralph W. Clay for preliminary professional land surveying of these portions. The cost is not to exceed $10,000.Commissioner William O'Gurek cast the sole "no" vote.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that the surveying would include the parking meter area along west side of the railroad tracks going up to the post office, the Old Mauch Chunk Train Station and Josiah White Park, the area going down past the gas station and the parking lot all the way to the river and extending up to the fence of the railroad maintenance yard.He said that there is no time frame on when the surveying will be completed.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said the reason for the surveying is to help the county get a better idea of the value of property.In February, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, which operates the county's short line under the management of Carbon and Schuylkill Railroad, offered to purchase the line, a nearly 20-mile stretch that runs from near Packerton to near the Hometown High Bridge in Schuylkill, as well as the former Packerton Yards property for a combined $1.3 million. If the county was to sell the railroad for the $1 million price tag, Lansford would receive 25 percent of the purchase price because it was the only depressed municipality at the time that was eligible to apply for the grants used to purchase the line in September 1981.Gerhard said that no decision has been made to sell the railroad, but he feels the offer is extremely low. The Carbon County Railroad Commission purchased the former Nesquehoning line for $991,500 in 1981 using federal grants that were secured with the help of Lansford.Gerhard said that he still feels selling it, even though the county has received letters of concern from Jim Thorpe and Nesquehoning, which the line travels through, and a county resident, is the best option because it is a liability.O'Gurek said the liability has been the same for the county since it was acquired and feels that selling the line is not the right thing to do. He said he believes it is a resource for the county and could bring in money eventually.He said the current agreement between C&S and the railroad commission, entered into by the former board, is vague in who manages what and does not expire until 2038.Carbon County has been asking to define the management agreement for nearly a decade, spending thousands to have a professional look at all the maps in Washington, D.C., to determine who manages what, but the railroad has said that it is satisfied with the current agreement that is in place.Reading Blue Mountain and Northern recently received a $5 million grant to construct a bridge across the Lehigh River to use for freight service, but there is one snag still holding up the project.Nothstein said there is an issue with the points on the map in the area of the proposed bridge, which the county owns.The railroad needs a 0.85-acre area of land to build the bridge but a pin in the area is not correct and needs to still be addressed. Once that is done, Nothstein said, the commissioners may grant an easement because the option to sell would take longer than the life of the grants.O'Gurek asked his colleagues why the focus has changed from wanting to know who manages what on the county rail line to possibly selling it.In other railroad matters, the commission voted to reimburse Nesquehoning Borough Authority $1,146 for two lease agreements for water lines for 2015; and $500 for 2016.