(rshsdepot) Philadelphia, MS

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

City buying depot is proposed

By MITCH LUCAS
The Neshoba Democrat

A downtown revitalization group has urged the Mayor and Board of Aldermen to
purchase the historic railroad depot for use as a welcome center.

Representatives from the Philadelphia Main Street Association asked the city
to purchase the near century-old building from a local developer.

The mayor says he is receptive to the idea and at least one alderman said he
'd listen to the proposal and evaluate the costs.

Officials took the matter under advisement Tuesday night.

The decision to go before the city board about the depot was the latest of
recent events to bring the building under public ownership and start a
renovation process that involves federal grants.

In the last six years, there have been suggestions that offices for the
chamber of commerce, and more recently, a civic partnership, relocate to a
restored depot.

The building is located between Main and Beacon Streets just west of
downtown. There is access to the depot from both streets, which, supporters
say, combined with its central location, would make it ideal to house a
welcome center that would provide information on the community.

The idea of office space is still being bantered, as well as a small museum,
officials said.

But in order for the restoration process to move forward, the depot needs to
be owned by a public entity, said Main Street Association Director Stacy
Pair, who was to be the spokesperson for the contingent.

"The depot ... has been here through all of our changes. What a better
representative of both our past and our future than that? It's in good
shape, and it needs to be salvaged. It's such a big part of our history."

Jackie Hester, president of Philadelphia Main Street's board of directors,
concurred. "I think the city purchasing the depot would be a good move. It's
such a landmark, and also because of its location, I would hate to see it
not utilized."

Hester also planned to attend the meeting, as well as others, such as Pat Wo
odrick of the hospital-nursing home auxiliary and real estate agent Maxine
Posey.

In her appearance before the board, Pair planned to bring with her letters
from architects noting that the depot was in good shape to be almost a
century old, and from state restoration and historic experts, some of which
have said a restored depot could contribute greatly to the community.

The letters, Pair said, basically "talk about how the depot needs to be
preserved, not just for Philadelphia but for the state of Mississippi," and
about grants that could be available to help fund a depot restoration.

A developer, Gaston Barrett, purchased the depot from the Kansas City
Southern Railroad Company last year. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The depot would be a good investment for the city, Mayor Rayburn Waddell
said Monday.

"The only way it can be remodeled with federal grants is if the city, or a
government entity, is its owner," he said. "It's probably a good idea to buy
it. There have been several depots restored in Mississippi in recent years.
I think it would be a good thing for us, and could help in the tourism
 area."

Ward 2 Alderman Roy White said he had not really formulated an opinion about
the city purchasing the depot beforehand.

"I'll be glad to listen to the presentation," White said, "to see what kind
of money we're talking about, not just buying the building, but the cost of
renovating it, what if any grants are available and those types of things."

An expert on historic sites in the state, Stella Gray Sykes, visited
Philadelphia last summer and said the building could be a candidate for the
state's 10 most endangered landmarks list.

Sykes, director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, recommended that the
depot be submitted for consideration to the Trust, a preservation movement
to protect the historical and prehistoric cultural resources of the state.

Sykes has issued her continued support for the depot's restoration through a
letter to Pair and the city.

Others who have issued letters of support for the restoration: Jennifer
Baughn, of the state's Department of Archives and History; and Roger Pryor,
of Pryor and Morrow, an architectural firm in the Golden Triangle area who
performed restoration work on the West Point depot, restored in the early
1990's.

The current interest in restoring the depot here can be traced back to 1996,
to the efforts of Philadelphia native David Bridges, a professor in the
Department of Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State University.

Bridges, a railroad enthusiast, began to stir interest in the repair of the
depot by inquiring about its availability from Kansas City Southern
officials.

The chamber of commerce at that time considered moving into the depot but
was concerned about the proximity of the building to the railroad tracks.

Sam Kaye, a Columbus architect who works with the state's Main Street
Association and examined the depot building here in September, said then
that he believes it is in good condition and estimated renovation of the
depot would cost around $200,000.

The depot was a part of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (GM&O) Railroad line and
was constructed by the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad in 1905. It
is the only GM&O depot left standing on the original route, running from
Mobile, Ala. to Jackson, Tenn. Many of the depots are still in existence,
but have been moved from their original sites.

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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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