(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information)
DUNNELLON – At the March 2 special Dunnellon City Council meeting, council did two things:
First, it decided to hold off on joining Marion County government if the county seeks an injunction against Track Line Rail LLC and Florida Northern Railroad concerning the creosote-treated railroad ties stacked near East McKinney Avenue and North Williams Street. On March 3, county government announced that it had filed the petition with the court.
Second, council directed staff to find out from the county what kind of environmental tests it wants to conduct at the affected area.
Both moves received a 5-0 vote, with Mayor Walter Green, Vice Mayor Tim Inskeep and council members Rex Lehmann, Valerie Hanchar and Reese Taschenberger in agreement.
With those votes, the council plans to revisit both matters at its next meeting, scheduled for March 11.
There was a motion for the city to perform its own soil and water testing; however, that motion failed. The elected officials ultimately decided to continue monitoring the situation at the site.
Vice Mayor Tim Inskeep
Inskeep was tapped by his colleagues to oversee the cleanup after the Feb. 1 fire, which burned a large portion of the estimated 100,000 railroad ties that had been stored in the area for the past several months.
Residents filled City Hall for the March 2 special meeting. They heard Inskeep say water and soil samples taken from the fire site don’t indicate violations of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s safety thresholds.
Inskeep said once all the cleanup is finished, FDEP is expected to receive a final report from CSX. The railroad giant has hired Arcadis to conduct the testing, Inskeep said.
The councilman said 60 percent of the railroad ties that were not burned have been removed. Railroad ties that were burned, together with trees and soils, have been taken away, Inskeep said.
Background
For months, city residents have been complaining about the railroad ties in their neighborhood. They argue the ties are too close to communities, such as Blue Cove and Chatmire, a mostly Black neighborhood. Conservation leaders also complain that the ties were too close to water bodies such as the famous Rainbow River, which is a huge attraction for thousands of people who swim, raft, boat and gather at the water.
Mayor Green and state lawmakers met with CSX officials and reached an agreement to remove the ties. The property where the ties are kept is owned by CSX; Track Line Rail LLC owns the actual ties.
Some of the ties were being removed. The work started in late 2025 and stretched until the fire erupted on Feb. 1.
Both the city and the county have signed off on an emergency declarations in response to the fire.
Inskeep said he is confident that the work on moving the ties and cleaning up the site is moving along. He said entering potential litigation may slow, delay or hamper that process.
His suggestion: Let the process play out and press for a timeline on when everything will be completed.
In a March 3 news release announcing it decision to seek the injunction, county government said it hoped remediation efforts would continue and the situation would be amicably resolved.
“However, railroad ties remain on the property one month after the Feb. 1 fire, and the county is taking these steps to safeguard the community’s health, safety, and environmental interests,” the release says.
Residents have their say
Residents did not share Inskeep’s optimism.
They said they trust Inskeep but not CSX or its contractor doing the testing. Several residents said city representatives should do their own testing. Councilman Lehmann was in favor of the idea.
One resident said city officials should use the money from fines imposed by a special magistrate against CSX for the testing. The fines were instituted on Feb. 13, and the cost is $250 per day.
Inskeep said he’s frequently at the storage site and has seen that CSX is adhering to FDEP rules and regulations.
Jim Peterson’s business was close to the fire site. He was out that day with his family moving property to protect their livelihood. On March 3, he said he and his family have been affected by the toxins from the fire.
Peterson said he’s closing his business due to the fire.
Jim Ross contributed. Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Dunnellon council delays legal action on railroad ties, fire cleanup
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
