Ridgeway votes to buy Cotton Yard

RIDGEWAY – Ever since 2014, when former Town Councilman Russ Brown accused Mayor Charlene Herring of poking the bear (Norfolk Southern Railway Company) with an email inquiry concerning the Town’s use of Cotton Yard property, the Town has had to pay rent on the property which sits next to the Olde Town Hall Restaurant. Prior to that, the Town had not only used the Cotton Yard for festivals and parking for shoppers, but built a police station and fire station on the property.
Increasingly worried as to whether the Town would continue to be allowed to use the Cotton Yard property, Council hired an attorney to approach Norfolk Southern about purchasing the front portion of the Cotton Yard property where the police and fire stations were located.
The answer came in the form of an email on April 12, from a Norfolk representative to the Town’s attorney in the matter, Jim Meggs.
“Would the Town of Ridgeway be interested in purchasing the whole parcel? It is not in the best interest of Norfolk Southern to sell only the front of the parcel, losing the street frontage. We could agree to letting the whole parcel go for $35,000,” the representative wrote.
After considering the offer during executive session last week, Council voted in public session to accept it.
Councilman Angela Harrison told The Voice that she was not sure how long the purchasing process would take