(rshsdepot) Covington, VA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Image links:
http://www.covington.va.us/news_interests/photo_album/depot.gif  (drawing of
station when it was in use)
http://www.covington.va.us/news_interests/photo_album/depotfromrear.gif
(current photo of rear of station)
http://www.covington.va.us/news_interests/photo_album/depotwtrain.gif
(current photo of station, tracks & train)

City wants to restore 2 former passenger stations

Covington gets federal aid for railroad project
In a separate grant, the city was awarded $100,000 for sidewalk
construction.

By TARAH HOLLAND
THE ROANOKE TIMES


   For the third consecutive year, Covington has received a federal grant to
help launch a restoration project for two former railroad passenger
stations.     A $150,000 grant approved by the Commonwealth Transportation
Board in late June will allow the city to move forward with the project.
According to Mayor Temple Kessinger Jr., most of the funding has been
allocated, and construction could begin as early as this fall.    "The
buildings are in bad shape now, but we plan to have them fully restored and
made useful," Kessinger said.     The funds from the federal Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act will help convert the buildings on
Maple Avenue into office space for the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of
Commerce, the Alleghany Historical Society, a genealogical society and a
railroad museum.     The project is expected to cost $715,000. So far,
grants awarded over the three-year period total $450,000. In a separate
ISTEA grant, the city was awarded $100,000 for sidewalk construction, which
will aid in developing the city's master plan, City Manager John Holpe said.
The master plan calls for a series of pedestrian walkways and bike routes
along the main artery of the city, including Town Hill in the southeastern
region, Holpe said.     "The entire city will be accessible by sidewalks,"
Holpe said.     The ISTEA grant program, created by Congress in 1991,
allocates federal funds for transportation-related projects that enhance
communities by, among other things, acquiring scenic easements and aiding in
historic preservation.     "We're hoping the project will help our economic
development. Right now the location is semi-blighted, but we're also looking
at other federal grants to assist with revitalizing the entire block,"
Kessinger said.     The city is expected to provide 20 percent of the
project's total cost.     The Alleghany Foundation awarded Covington a
$70,000 grant to help in the city's obligation to provide 20 percent in
matching funds. The remaining portion will be contributed through in-kind
services from the city, Holpe said.     "This will certainly be an economic
boost," he added. "It will improve the quality of life and well being of the
city overall."     The first passenger station was built in 1890 and the
second in 1915 before being transformed into a freight depot. In the early
1990s, the buildings were left decaying and empty. The buildings are on land
owned by CSX Transportation. The railroad company will lease the buildings
to Covington for 20 years.     The chamber of commerce and historical
society will be located in the newer of the two buildings. Plans for the
museum, which include an adjacent conference room, are still in the early
stages, but the city is working with the Virginia Museum of Transportation
in Roanoke to help get things organized, Kessinger said.     "Everyone has
been very supportive," he said. "Don't look for that to change."     The
entire VDOT Staunton District received ISTEA grants totaling more than $1.8
million from the transportation board in June. The largest award -
$200,000 - went to assist in the construction of a tourist information
center near the Interstate 64-Interstate 81 interchange in Staunton. The
cost of the center is estimated at $1 million. It will serve Staunton,
Waynesboro and surrounding areas.

  Bernie Wagenblast
  Transportation Communications Newsletter
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/


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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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