(rshsdepot) Wahoo, NE

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo links:
http://www.co.saunders.ne.us/depo1910.gif  (circa 1910)
http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/histpres/nebraska/11393.jpg
(contemporary photo)

Construction begins on depot restoration
From Staff Reports  - Wahoo Newspaper

WAHOO - Over a century after its original construction, Wahoo's Burlington
Northern Depot is undergoing an exterior facelift to return it to the
splendor of the 1920s.

"Most of the work is underway," Chuck Lacey, Jr., whose Wahoo-based Lacey
Construction entered the winning bid on the project, said. "Favorable
weather has allowed us to get a lot done."

Restoration work on the building, which was constructed in 1866, began three
weeks ago. In that timeframe, the Depot has garnered new shingles and a
stable, waterproof foundation.

Last week, panels -- removed during a residing project a number of years
ago - were added below the Depot's first-floor windows. Construction workers
also removed six-inch wide trim pieces on a bay window which did not match
the four-inchers used in the 1920s.

"We had workers in here looking at old pictures to make sure things match
up," Saunders County Historical Society Curator Erin Hauser said. "They even
counted the individual pieces of siding to make sure the panels were
historically correct."

Built in 1866 by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Depot is
the last of three which once stood in Wahoo.

Burlington closed the depot in 1972, and three years later the Historical
Society began caring for the structure, which is on the National Registry of
Historic Places.

It was last upgraded in the 1980s. That work - on the upper floor - has been
credited with saving the overall structure.

The current project involves repairs to the exterior as well as bringing the
electrical system up to code.

Lacey Construction was awarded the project in December, after submitting a
low bid of $122,000.

Total cost of the renovation will be offset by an $83,000 Nebraska
Department of Roads Transportation Enhancement grant. Donations gathered
from patrons of the Saunders County Museum will cover the remaining total.

Lacey, who admitted that the project is ahead of schedule, has until August
to wrap up the upgrades.

"It we don't get a lot of rain, I think we'll have this done in the next
four to six weeks," Lacey said.

Other work to be completed includes the electrical system upgrade,
additional grade work to slope water away from the building, the
installation of a brick platform (replacing the old wooden one) and
refinements on docks.

Hailing from Wahoo, Lacey said he is excited to be involved in the project.

"We're not really a historical contractor, but this is a pretty neat
project," Lacey said. "The construction is no different than what we do on
new projects.

"Since we're all from Wahoo, it means a lot to restore a building that has
been here all our lives. We're hoping it stands another 100 years."

And, while the work rolls on the exterior, the museum is currently working
on plans for the second phase of the project. That will include repairing
the interior, which has suffered from water damage.

According to Hauser, it took the museum three years to get the exterior
project off the ground. She added that no timetable has been set on the
interior work.

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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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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #377
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org