(rshsdepot) Elizabethtown, PA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Amtrak's woes may hurt proposed plan
Rail carrier's problems may slow down plans to fix E'town's station and
expand downtown

By: Kevin Hensil, Staff Writer - March 07, 2002
Elizabethtown Chronicle

      Local officials continue to plan a downtown revitalization project
featuring a refurbished train station despite the concerns of some residents
and questions as to the financial health of one of the key players in the
deal.
      According to Beth Wood Stiner, director of Elizabethtown's Main Street
Program, those in charge of the project are moving ahead cautiously.
      "This is just brainstorming," she said. "[Officials are looking at]
how we can maximize the storefront space for the best optimal use. That's
just good business planning."
      The proposed long-term plan involves two separate components, the
reopening of the train station on the southern edge of Elizabethtown Borough
and the expansion of the downtown corridor along West High Street.
      That being said, the plan could possibly be derailed by financial
troubles at Amtrak, the company which owns the nearly 80-year-old station.
      In February, a Congressionally-appointed committee concluded some of
the passenger rail carrier should be sold to private companies. The federal
government, which subsidizes Amtrak, is concerned it is 'losing millions of
dollars with an aging rail system.
      But regardless of the possible setback to Amtrak, Elizabethtown
Borough Manager Peter Whipple believes the train station project will
continue.
      "I'm concerned only to the extent that it might delay out project," he
said. "Everything I'm reading says that the part of Amtrak that they don't
like is the longer distance lines."
      Whipple added that the Keystone line, which includes Elizabethtown, is
among Amtrak's most successful routes.
      While the train station project has suffered some delays, the
Elizabethtown Economic Development Corporations is meeting with a consultant
hired to determine if the downtown can, or should, be expanded.
      If the borough does need more businesses, the EEDC may work with West
High Street landlords. Some homes, which are currently rented, may be
converted into first-floor businesses with apartments on the upper floors.
That possibility has some residents concerned.
      "That means I'll lose my place to live," said one renter. "There are a
lot of people on this street that do rent."
      Stiner says she understands those concerns.
      "This is not about booting people out of their homes," she said. "It's
about (the) economics of the downtown and community development. We want a
peaceful transition if this happens."
      Some other West High Street residents have mixed reactions to the
potential project.
      "It probably would be a good benefit for the community," Diane Myers
said of renovating the train station. But the 19-year resident of West High
Street had some concern about the possible downtown expansion.
      "It depends on how far up they come," she said. "If they only came up
a block or two it wouldn't bother me, but if they came up to the creek, I
think that would bother me more, because you have too many kids hanging
around."
      In the study currently being taken, downtown expansion would go along
West High Street from Market Street to the train station.
      Anna Ruth Hess has lived near the train station for 70 years. As an
active member of the historical society, she would like to see the train
station reopened.
      "I can remember back when it was very active and (I) would like to see
that again," she said.
      However, despite the borough's ongoing work on the project, Amtrak
must ultimately approve of any plans dealing directly with its property.
      "[So far], there's no communication from Amtrak," Whipple said. "The
approval process has taken a long time, which is not abnormal for
government."
      Whipple says the delays mean the project will likely not begin until
next year at the earliest.
      Still, optimism runs high.
      "I think it's a positive and it's going to happen," Borough Council
President Doug Pfautz said. "We're not building new roads, and there are
more people. We have to go to public transportation. We just have to make it
convenient, especially for our residents who work in Harrisburg, Lancaster,
or Philadelphia."

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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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