The focus of a meeting sponsored by the Chowchilla District Chamber of Commerce was the High Speed Rail - Chowchilla Area. A large crowd filled the meeting room at the First 5 Family Resource Center for an update on the High Speed Rail project.</p><p>Guest speakers for the event were Chowchilla Mayor Jim Kopshever and Chowchilla Water District Director Kole Upton.</p><p>The California High Speed Rail project is a proposed future high speed rail system in the state of California. The project is headed by California High Speed Rail Authority.</p><p>The project was approved by California voters on Nov. 4, 2008.</p><p>Chamber Manager Jacki Flanagan welcomed those in attendance and introduced the speakers. Kopshever was the first to speak.</p><p>He began by saying there was just not a lot of information out there regarding the high speed rail project.</p><p>"I am certain that the High Speed Rail will go forward," he stated. He quickly followed by saying it might not be in most of our life times.</p><p>Kopshever compared the High Speed Rail project to BART in the Bay Area by saying, "They are works in progress."</p><p>Kopshever discussed the various routes proposed for the project. He said many times the information is conflicting. "One of the biggest issues for Madera County is that there are too many route options," he stated. He explained that one route impacted the farming community and another the urban population.</p><p>Kopshever noted that there would be a High Speed Rail station in Fresno and Merced. He told the audience about the heavy duty maintenance facility that was being dangled like a carrot to cities up and down the Valley. Approximately 1,500 jobs will be available per shift with three shifts a day at the facility.</p><p>"Maybe be looking at 15,000 jobs for Madera County," he stated.</p><p>Kole Upton made it perfectly clear that he was talking as a farmer.</p><p>"I didn't know anything about the High Speed Rail last November," he stated.</p><p>He told how he got a letter asking for permission to come on to his property, a request he denied.</p><p>He pointed out his concern about the route option A3 that goes right through his farm. He told how taking A3 would change the way farmers do business. Upton took a line from a movie directed by former Chowchilla resident Ron Moore, "Your life as you know it is over." He said that is how he felt when he was informed of the option.</p><p>Kopshever said the High Speed Rail Authority has $8.5 billion to start the project. The estimated time of travel from San Francisco to Anaheim is 2 hours and 38 minutes.</p><p>Kopshever told how the project would affect the city.</p><p>Upton said he did not want to pit the rural community against the city.</p><p>Kopshever said the decisions being made today are going to change the Valley forever.</p><p>Following the speakers questions were taken from the audience.