Nesquehoning Borough isn't the only municipality that wants to put a bug in Carbon County's ear regarding plans to sell the county railroad.

The Carbon County Railroad Commission announced last month it had received a verbal offer of $1.3 million from Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad for the purchase of the nearly 20-mile Panther Valley Rail Line and the former Packerton Yards.Part of the rail line runs through Jim Thorpe Borough, and its council is concerned about protecting its interests."Our main concern is that we have some sewer lines on the county's property that we need to access," Mayor Michael Sofranko said. "We know we can't really control anything, but we also can't just sit back and do nothing."The borough passed a motion Thursday night to send a letter to the county, asking to open the lines of communication regarding sale discussions.Jim Thorpe's sewer line in question runs from Robertson's Creek to the borough's sewer plant, on the east side of the Lehigh River across from the train station."When Andy Muller (chairman and CEO of Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Co.) first got in the business, there was a little trouble because he put a gate over by the Jim Thorpe Market," said Vince Yaich, Jim Thorpe public works supervisor. "He worked out a deal with the borough, and it cost the borough money to split the cost of fixing the rail crossing at the sewer plant."Borough resident Ed McArdle warned council to keep tabs on the negotiations."Years ago, I think there was a problem with a manhole, and they wanted to charge the town for going in there," he said. "Be very careful with what happens over there."The Carbon County Railroad Commission has owned the rail line since 1981.Sofranko also explained why Lansford gets 25 percent of the county's annual railroad profits, an issue brought up at Nesquehoning's February council meeting."Because Lansford was considered a depressed community when the county bought the railroad, it was the catalyst for federal and state grants to help with the purchase," he said.What happens at the Packerton Yards property is of particular interest to the borough because of the strain it could put on resources."Hypothetically, they could build a welcoming center there and take people by train up to Jim Thorpe, dropping off hundreds of people every 15 minutes," Sofranko said. "I actually don't think that's a bad idea, but it's a drain on our resources. It affects all of our emergency services. The law prohibits us from charging a railroad for amusement tax."