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(rshsdepot) Ashland, WI



Workers to lift steeple onto Ashland's Soo Line Depot Friday.

The Daily Press

Nearly two years after fire gutted the historic Soo Line Depot, workers will
lift a rebuilt steeple by crane to the top of the building.
Area residents are invited to the steeple raising Friday from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m., weather permitting. Windy weather would delay the raising; the final
determination will be made Friday morning.
"The raising of the steeple is symbolic of the progress we've made since the
Depot was destroyed by fire on April 1, 2000," said Leslie Hamp, project
coordinator. "It'll be exciting to watch the process, and it'll be a time to
celebrate the efforts that brought our community and region together to save
and restore this beautiful historic structure."
The restoration effort has been helped by a community fundraising effort, a
$499,000 National Park Service Save America's Treasures grant, and a $1
million Wisconsin Department of Transportation grant.
Significant progress has been made since April 2001 when former building
owners Mark and Val Gutteter donated the Depot building and property to the
Ashland Area Development Corporation, a non-profit entity administering the
effort to restore the structure as a public/private partnership.
In addition to fund-raising efforts, area residents have been watching daily
progress at the Depot construction site. The first phase of the restoration
project focused on cleaning and stabilizing the building and adding a roof.
Workers from Wayne Nasi Construction will finish Phase I with the lifting of
the steeple. Final shingling of the roof will take place in April or May
during warmer weather.
Completing interior work during Phase II of the restoration effort begins in
July 2002. Final completion is projected for September 2003.
Hamp said community focus groups provided input regarding possible tenants
and uses for the building which will likely house paying tenants to provide
income for utilities and upkeep as well as tenants to serve the public
sector. A transportation museum is being researched.
Since launching a fund-raising effort in May 2001, the Depot Restoration
Committee has raised $557,000 of a $600,000 goal. A large portion came from
the Mary K. Rice Foundation of Bayfield which donated $150,000 and got the
fund-raising effort started. Area residents followed that lead gift making
another $407,000 in cash contributions and $105,000 in in-kind
contributions. Fundraising efforts will continue until the remaining $43,000
is raised.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to AADC/Depot Restoration Fund, 422
Third Street West, Ashland, WI 54806.

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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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