A rural Georgia community is cornered in its fight against a privately held shortline railroad company.

According to CBS News, Sandersville Railroad Company plans to carve through private property in Sparta, Georgia, to construct four and a half miles of a new track. Among opponents are community members Mark Smith and his wife, Janet, although the rail company holds eminent domain. This means that the government or a private organization may take land from citizens in return for compensation if it is thought to be in the public interest.

“This is not the first time that someone has came after this land. My daddy struggled to keep it. And now here we are,” Smith told CBS about his 600-acre property. “I can't believe it, 100 years later, still struggling to hold onto it. When will it be over?”

While Smith isn’t alone in his stance, a state judge recently decided in favor of the Sandersville Railroad Company. Smith’s coalition legal team, however, is appealing the ruling. Allen Haywood, the mayor of Sparta, says he sympathizes with the Smiths but also recognizes the $1.5 million economic boost Sandersville could provide to the county. A affluent Georgia family owns the Sandersville Railroad, which seeks to connect the quarry to the CSX railroad at Sparta for goods to be transported extensively. 

Sandersville president, Ben Tarbutton, is open to speaking with the Sparta community about the benefits both sides can gain from the construction. “We work really hard to try to come up with the most direct route, which affected the least amount of property,” Tarbutton said.