Property Owners Fighting Proposed Rail Trail In Monroe County

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Southern Indiana property owners who oppose plans to turn an old railroad corridor into a multi-use trail are embroiled in a court battle challenging the ownership of that land.

Monroe County Attorney Margie Rice says two lawsuits are pending against the Monroe County Parks and Recreation Foundation Inc. over land in the southern part of the county.

The Herald-Times reports the landowners who filed those separate lawsuits contend they own a strip of land behind their homes that they believe the foundation is claiming for the trail.

They cite warranty deeds acquired upon purchase of their properties as evidence that the land belongs to them. The plaintiffs argue that the parks foundation holds no title to the abandoned railroad right-of-way and cannot give it to the county.