The purpose of this press release is to address concerns relative to September meetings pertaining to the replacement of the CSX bridges on the west side of the City of Cumberland.
The monthly negotiation session with CSX will be held on September 11. These negotiations are not open to the public. CSX is insistent that the negotiations be held privately and the Mayor and City Council agree that publicly held negotiations would be considerably less effective, and therefore, not in the City’s best interests. The Mayor and City Council ask for the public’s cooperation in this regard as negotiations are progressing smoothly and it is in the best interests of all concerned not to do anything which would derail them or necessitate the rescheduling of the upcoming or any future negotiation sessions.
The Mayor and City Council are committed to negotiating for a solution which involves the replacement of the Cumberland, Fayette and Washington Street bridges. This will be addressed further in negotiations. At the September 18 meeting of the Mayor and City, the public will be given a general update as to the status of negotiations and a statement as to how the Washington Street Bridge is being addressed. Public input is welcome at open meetings of the Mayor and City Council.
This process will unfold further over the course of the next several months. Negotiations are ongoing and are expected to continue beyond the September 11 meeting. The end result of the negotiations is hoped to be a draft agreement which addresses the future status of the aforesaid bridges as well as increasing the clearance for the Greene Street Bridge. Once the agreement is reduced to a final draft, it will be released to the public and the public will be afforded the opportunity to provide input regarding its terms.
The Mayor and City Council are committed to a process which allows for orderly and efficient privately held negotiations with concurrently held opportunities for public input. This commitment is evidenced by the fact that the regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council to be held on September 18 will be dedicated solely to issues relative to the future status of the Washington Street Bridge with multiple opportunities for public input throughout the course of the meeting. The Mayor and City Council plan to hold this meeting at a location outside of City Hall so that seating can be provided for everyone who wishes to attend the meeting. The exact location and meeting time will be posted on the City’s web site and announced in the regular pre-meeting press release.
The Mayor and City Council respectfully ask that the public allow this process to play out in an orderly manner as planned.
Questions regarding this matter may be addressed to the City Administrator’s office at 301-759-6424.