Note: These are the minutes for a brief CAPT Board meeting which occurred after a joint meeting of the CAPT Board with Ray Rapp and Steve Little from the Western North Carolina Rail Committee. A report on that meeting will be published in the CAPT newsletter.

Present: Martin Wheeler, Ralph Messera, Jim Frierson, Ed Locklin, David Robinson, and Phil Astwood

Treasurer's Report: Ralph Messera reported a Balance on 5/21/22 of $2,707.88; Dues received of $25.00 and a Donation of $75.00; Expense of $103.76 for the website; a final Balance on 7/16/22 of $2,704.12. The association has 37 members: North Carolina – 23, South Carolina – 9, Others States – 5.

Secretary's Report: The minutes of the May meeting were distributed via e-mail. Several small errors were noted and corrected. The report was accepted as corrected.

Consideration of Additional Board Members Needed: We still need another Board Member from NC.

Comments on Earlier Meeting with WNRC: Martin and David will put together notes on the meeting and prepare some notes which Jim Frierson will send to Don Yehle for an article in the newsletter. The most significant item was the suggestion that we exchange ex-officio board members between organizations. Martin and David will discuss this further with Ray Rapp from WNRC.

Infrastructure Funding: Martin said the money will come to the states and they will apportion it between projects, however it is not clear how much money will be available or where it will be directed in NC or SC. Martin will discuss this further with Ray.

Economic Feasibility Study: At the last meeting we discussed various ways by which money could be raised for a study. As yet nothing has been decided, but Martin will discuss it with Ray. Jim suggested we contact Sean Jeans-Gail RPA for help and ideas.

Rail Line between Florence and Myrtle Beach: Martin - We have met with the Marion County engineer to discuss the history and current status of the line. Though we have also checked the GIS website to determine the property ownership along the line, we still need to do a title search of the line. We also need to learn more about the “Big Sky Initiative” in Montana which created a rail authority organization to raise money to fund a rail passenger study. Jim tried to contact Leah Quattlebaum at SCDOT about including a rail line within the proposed I-73 highway corridor, but has not received an answer. He will continue to try and he will also try to get a copy of the currently proposed alignment for the highway. Martin said that when we meet in Myrtle Beach we need to let people know about the possibility of a rail line and the economic advantages it may lead to. Jim and Martin will look for someone to speak about local information in Myrtle Beach or other adjacent areas.

Update on Resolution Drive in SC: Nothing new here.

NC On Track Update: David -We need to look into train and rail related events in the Carolinas at which we should have a presence. We should also look for and attend events that people could reach by train.

Update on News in NC and SC Affecting Transit and Rail Passenger Service: Amtrak seems to be slowly reinstating service, but the Meteor, for example, is still not operating. The Board wondered why they are moving the Cary station. Is this related to trains that block the streets? In Charlotte the Gateway Station project is bogging down again due to lack of effective city government leadership. One problem is an inability to decide if or how the light rail will run through the station.

CAPT Newsletter and Website Update: Don Yehle would like to feature David in a future newsletter.

Reports by Officers and Directors: Jim suggested that CAPT might want to sponsor a coffee break at the next RPA meeting as a way of getting our name out to the rest of the Rail Passengers Association. This could cost as little as $100.

Planning for Future Meetings:

September 17 – Myrtle Beach (Chapin Memorial Library)

November 19 (Annual Meeting) – Charlotte