Mattoon depot funding.....

[bge...@juno.com]

Butch Getz
http://stationmaster.rrpicturearchives.net

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RSHSDepot Digest Tuesday, October 14 2008 Volume 01 : Number 1788

Subjects:

(rshsdepot) Mattoon, IL

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From Arch...@Railfan.net
Message-ID: <bf4.3a2e92...@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:12:36 EDT
From: I95BE...@aol.com
Subject: (rshsdepot) Mattoon, IL

From The Daily Eastern News.

Bernie Wagenblast

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mattoon depot receives grant to update 90-year-old facilities

Krystal Moya/City Editor
Issue date: 10/13/08

After 90 years as a staple for the Coles County community, the Mattoon Depot
will finally begin its long-awaited restoration.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Timothy Johnson, R-Urbana, announced the release of a
federal grant of $973,372 to support the project.

"Finally we can live up to the promise we made to Mattoon three years ago,"
Johnson said. "It is a project that greatly deserved the attention of the
federal government."

Initially, the city only intended to be awarded just under $500,000 to help
aid the next phase of the restoration.

The phase includes the reworking of the depot's electrical system and
installing an elevator to adhere to state handicap laws and aid the Amtrak
passengers in the three-floor train depot and lobby.

The Coles County Historical Society was astonished to hear the grant would
serve almost double the initial amount.

"We are thrilled that the process so long in the making can finally begin,"
said Jerry Groniger, historical society vice president. "The way things fell
into place is much better than expected."

Interest formed around the depot in 2001, when the historical society began
Project Depot, a renovation plan that focused solely on the Illinois Central
Railroad Depot in Mattoon.

The plan involves several phases, the first of which was completed in 2002
with the reconstruction of the depot's roof.

Planning for federal aid to help the restoration began about three years ago
when over $2 million became available in federal grants through national
transportation legislation.

Since then, the Mattoon Depot and city officials have grappled with the long
and difficult application process.

The historical society emphasized the hazards to public safety that the
almost century old building's interior and exterior has the potential to bring.

The application also stressed the importance of the depot as the heart of
Mattoon's uptown redevelopment, aiding the business districts renovations in
heart and community wholeness.

This was in addition to the depot's historical potential as a museum and in
railway advancement through the addition of high-speed rail lines.

The station and depot, completed in 1918, still serves as a working Amtrak
passenger station.

The depot was also placed on the National Registrar of Historical Places in
2002.

Ridership from the station has grown in the last year, with ticket sales
increasing by 68 percent in 2007 alone.

It serves roughly 30,000 passengers and takes in six Amtrak passenger trains
a day.

"Ridership has doubled in Mattoon, and will continue to grow," said Jackie
Record, a head of the "Project Depot Committee. "Donors expect their money to
be put to good use."

The depot in its final analysis was estimated to cost $130,000 at the day of
its debut.

Now, almost half a million dollars is intended for the renovation of the
electrical phase of the building, a sum that does not include the subsequent
three phases.

The project still includes phases three, four and five.

Phase three focuses on the rehabilitation of the exterior fixtures of the
depot.

Windows and tuck points in the brick masonry will be refurbished to update
both insulation issues and aesthetics on the building's façade.

Phase four includes gutting the interior, with full rework on the ceilings,
floors and woodwork.

Phase five, the final phase, is the ultimate goal for the historical
society.

"In phase five, we hope to develop a museum about the history of Coles
County," Record said. "It will see Coles County through the eyes of the railway,
which is a significant part of the county's history."

The announcement of the grant followed the House's passage of the Amtrak
reauthorization bill, which would allow Amtrak to improve safety and grow to
include high-speed rail lines.

The passing of the bill shows the immense pressure on Congress to support
more public transportation throughout the nation, Johnson said.

The Illinois Central Railroad line has been eyed as the future site of a
high-speed rail line.

The historical society hopes the renovation of the depot will help stimulate
the growth of Mattoon and the rail system.

"Mattoon owes its existence to the railway system," Groniger said. "I hope
we can continue to support its advances."

The new old depot

Renovations to the Mattoon train depot will include:

• Reconstruction of depot roof
• Three-story elevator to aid
handicapped passengers
• Touch-up of exterior fixtures,
including windows and masonry
• Rework of interior ceilings, floors and woodwork
• Museum about the history of Coles County

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7945 or at _ks...@eiu.edu_
(mailto:ksm...@eiu.edu) .
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1788
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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