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(rshsdepot) High Point, NC
Photos:
http://www.pwrr.org/nstation/high_point.html
Depot work, funding progresses
By Jacob McConnico - High Point Enterprise
Clouds of dust and loud rumbles at downtown's historic railroad depot might
normally signal a horrible calamity or at least a passing train. But the
now-familiar sights and sounds of major construction at the 97-year-old
train station represent the efforts of more than 20 workers putting in
10-hour days. They are trying to return the depot to its original appearance
when it opened in 1905.
Ricky Yontz is project superintendent with Rentenbach Constructors, the
company hired to complete the 18-month depot restoration project. He said
his crews have been working steady since January, ripping out rotten floor
joists and pulling up the old concourse. "As far as our company, it's our
first dealings with the railroad and our first train station restoration
project," he said. "Dealing with the railroad and being on the corner of
Main Street, it's been a real challenge." Rentenbach crews started the job
by demolishing old structures that eventually will be replaced. The
pedestrian bridge across the tracks, the wooden canopy above the depot and
the concrete platform between the tracks and the station's retaining wall
all were torn out. The inside of the building is now a shell with replaced
floor joists holding up sheets of plywood to provide a make-shift floor.
Scaffolding has been erected throughout the interior and exterior of the
building. The project is scheduled for completion by February, and the work
will yield a station with a new, structurally sound, concourse between the
railroad tracks, in addition to a platform between the tracks and the
retaining wall. A new passenger elevator with room for baggage is to be
installed, along with a new roof and a new canopy over the tracks.
Rentenbach also plans to pressure wash the retaining wall and all existing
concrete surfaces. Gerald Dalton, the flagging foreman assigned to the job
by the Norfolk Southern Corp., is responsible for making sure no trains come
through while work is being done on or near the tracks. "I've worked on jobs
like this in Salisbury (N.C.) and Alta Vista (Va.)," Dalton said. "I've seen
the plans, and this is going to be something really special. We still have
passengers coming through here, and I hear them comment about the mess out
here, but I tell them, 'You just wait until this is all done.' This will be
something that people can really be proud of." The restoration project
carries a total price tag of $6,223,000 and is being funded through a
partnership between the city, state and federal governments. The city is
responsible for 10 percent of the project, or $622,300, while the federal
government is contributing 80 percent of the cost and the state will provide
the remaining 10 percent. Jim Morgan, chairman of the High Point Historic
Preservation Society, the group that has committed to provide at least
$300,000 to offset the city's share of the project, presented a check for
$200,000 to High Point Mayor Arnold Koonce at a City Council meeting
Thursday. "I have some commits from several people for additional money, and
I feel that we will make our goal of $300,000," Morgan said. "I go out (to
the depot) at least once a week, and I am very pleased with the progress
that they are making. I think we are really going to have a nice depot." The
High Point Historic Preservation Society is accepting donations from
individuals, families and corporations. People donating $1,000 or more will
have their name placed on a plaque that will be permanently affixed to the
depot. Jacob McConnico can be contacted
at 888-3515 or jmcconnico_@_hpe.com
=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #337
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org