RUSK – State Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) visited the Texas
State Railroad on a fact-finding mission Friday that will help
him participate in a decision that determines the fate of the
Texas State Railroad. As a member of the Texas House of
Representatives' appropriations committee, Rep. Chisum will have
an opportunity to review the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's
$11.8 million funding request for the TSR to operate from
2007-08.
Rep. Chisum said it had been a long time since he
visited East Texas, and he wanted his wife, Omega, to see pine
forests for the first time.
"It is a beautiful area," he said, and he peppered TSR
Superintendent Robert Crossman with questions about the
maintenance complex as they toured the facility.
State Rep. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville) also serves on the
appropriations committee, and he invited Rep. Chisum to his home
district to see first-hand the tourist facility, which runs 60
miles round-trip between Rusk and Palestine.
Co-sponsoring the event were the Friends of the Texas State
Railroad and a newly-formed group, Save Texas Parks.
During a presentation in the media room, Dr. Michael Banks
told Rep. Chisum that the TSR's future could go in one of three
directions as:
• a static exhibit
• a transfer to a private operator
• state ownership
"We hope it is the latter, and we are encouraging everyone to
get involved by visiting our new web site,
www.SaveTexasParks.com," he said.
Rep. Chisum said that the poor condition of state parks did
not happen overnight, and it may take some time for a funding
solution to be addressed.
Rep. Hopson called the fact-finding mission "delightful and
informative. We learned things about the railroad's operation.
Our parks are in trouble and we got to see it first hand."
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Photos Available at
http://www.savetexasparks.com/nw/media
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