County has no ‘tardy paperwork' for Short Line/Coach USA move

Regarding your recent article, “Short Line/Coach USA Ramps up in Chester,” Orange County fully supports the movement of operations, expansion of Coach/USA from New Jersey to our county bringing 225 new jobs to Orange County and expanding the tax base. However, local officials have inaccurately portrayed the facts surrounding this project, especially its timeline. Chester Town Supervisor Steve Neuhaus is quoted as blaming “tardy county paperwork,” a statement that is just plain wrong. Orange County has worked diligently to direct millions of federal and state dollars to Short Line services and equipment in support of public transit for our constituents; we continue to work closely with George Grieve, President of Short Line and General Manager of Coach USA’s Northern District; our staff is also working hard with the state to reconcile how best to expand support to Short Line; and, Orange County officials never left the company’s side during the very lengthy planning process that included many public hearings. Corporate decisions by Short Line, and its Scotland-based parent company StageCoach, changing federal funding rules, and the difficult economy, have all contributed to a postponed groundbreaking. Now that such a facility is coming close to a reality, it’s disappointing to hear that anyone needs to go backwards and try to play the blame game. Edward A. Diana Orange County Executive