Lancaster County, Pa., Seeks Compromise with Norfolk over River Access.

Byline: Patricia Poist-Reilly

Aug. 30--County Commissioner Pete Shaub said he hopes to schedule another meeting in September with Norfolk Southern over the railroad company's controversial decision to limit access along the Susquehanna River.

With the creation of the Lancaster-York Heritage Region, there's even more reason for county leaders to come up with some kind of "win-win" agreement with the company, Shaub and project leaders said Wednesday.

Using the river as a focal point, the Ridge Administration on Aug. 22 officially designated both counties as a heritage region under the state's Heritage Parks Program.

The program was created in 1989 to boost tourism and civic pride. Designated regions are eligible for state funds for project leaders to pinpoint their historical, cultural, economic and recreation features via such means as maps, guides and signs on the river and throughout both counties.

"We don't want to get down the road and then discover we have some obstacle we can't overcome," Shaub said.

He and project coordinator Scott Standish said they would like to work with the railroad company to determine if and where more public access areas could be created.