(rshsdepot) Porterdale, GA

[jdent1_@_optonline.net]

Gwinnett Daily Post Online Edition
  =

Mystery of train depot ownership holds up Porterdale=92s purchase of dila=
pidated structure
By JAY JONES
Staff Reporter
jay=2Ejones=40newtoncitizen=2Ecom =



PORTERDALE =97 Only one thing is keeping city officials from purchasing a=
nd restoring the historic train depot on Hemlock Street =96 the rightful =
owners=2E
The city asked local attorney Errol Nichols to research property records =
at the Newton County Courthouse to determine who owns the dilapidated str=
ucture=2E Nothing was turned up after going back 50 years=2C so Nichols h=
as referred it back to the city=2C according to Porterdale City Manager T=
om Fox=2E
=93The city wants to acquire it=2C restore it because of its historical v=
alue and make it available to the public=2C=94 Fox said=2E =93The problem=
 we keep running into is that there=92s not a clear ownership of it=2E=94=

Fox suspects the owner is either Norfolk-Southern Railroad=2C The Bibb Co=
mpany or Dan River Inc=2E=2C but like the old building itself=2C property=
 records have quietly crumbled over time=2E
Built between 1890 and 1910=2C the building sits near the old city jail=2C=
 just behind the closed Lil=92 Henry=92s convenience store=2E One can see=
 the old bay window where the loading dock once was=2E Inside=2C the floo=
ring is gone=2C but the floor joists show the tongue-and-groove method us=
ed in its construction=2E =

Though ownership is in doubt=2C part of the building has been used by Por=
terdale Public Works for years to store equipment and park trucks=2E On o=
ne side of the building=2C a faded =93Porterdale=94 sign is barely visibl=
e=2E
A proponent for saving the depot=2C Councilwoman Rebecca Roseberry said t=
he building could be a great asset for Porterdale as a community meeting =
area and polling place=2E Another possibility for the old depot is to inc=
orporate it with a proposed multi-purpose trail along the Yellow River th=
at could connect the county=92s Turner Lake Recreation Complex with Porte=
rdale=2E The depot also sits adjacent to 28 acres of riverfront property =
Porterdale purchased last year from Dan River Inc=2E for a planned city p=
ark=2E
Roseberry said regardless of what the final plans are for the depot=2C th=
e structure is deteriorating and the city will need to act soon to acquir=
e the depot to save it=2E
=93We better do something soon=2C or else there won=92t be anything left =
to save=2C=94 Roseberry said=2E
The matter has now been turned over to Porterdale City Attorney Timothy C=
hambers to see what court procedures are available to resolve the ownersh=
ip issue=2E =


City seeks grant for renovations

PORTERDALE =97 City officials will seek a state grant to renovate the old=
 Porterdale train depot and construct a portion of a proposed multi-purpo=
se trail that would connect Porterdale with the Turner Lake Recreation Co=
mplex=2E
In a called session Monday=2C the Porterdale City Council voted unanimous=
ly to move forward on a Transportation Enhancement Program grant through =
the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)=2E The specially called c=
ouncil meeting was necessary because the deadline for the grant applicati=
on is Monday=2E
The council agreed to hire The Center for Facilitating Community Preserva=
tion and Planning in Covington to prepare the grant application at a cost=
 of =2410=2C000=2E Local governments can seek up to =241 million in grant=
 money=2C but are obligated to pay 20 percent of the total grant received=
 with the GDOT paying the rest=2C according to Porterdale City Manager To=
m Fox=2E
Fox called that 20 percent the crux of the argument for the council and a=
sked whether they would be willing to pay up to =24200=2C000 if the grant=
 is awarded to Porterdale=2E The original grant proposal was just to buil=
d a portion of the proposed trail=2C but the council included the train d=
epot in their vote=2E
=93Covington and Newton County are trying to make it a reality=2C=94 Fox =
said=2E =93If we can get this grant=2C it would benefit everyone=2C Newto=
n County=2C Covington and Porterdale=2E=94
The amount to be sought would be determined before the grant application =
is completed=2E Fox told the council the trail is estimated to cost =2435=
0=2C000 per mile=2C considering right of way purchases=2C materials and c=
onstruction cost=2E Porterdale applied for the same grant in 2000 for sid=
ewalk improvements and renovation of the train depot=2E At that time=2C e=
stimates for saving the turn-of-the-century depot were around =24385=2C00=
0=2C not including cost to purchase the property=2C Fox said=2E
The proposed trail is coordinated by a citizens=92 group=2C Multi-Use Tra=
il Advocates for a New Trail System (MUTANTS) and divided into three phas=
es=2E Newton County has applied for grant money to fund the first and sec=
ond phases going from Turner Lake down to Newton High School=2E Fox prese=
nted the third phase of 2=2E5 miles for Porterdale to fund that runs from=
 Newton High to the Yellow River bridge at Hemlock and North Broad street=
s=2E
Councilman Bobby Hamby questioned why Porterdale would be responsible for=
 building a trail outside of city limits=2C including a foot bridge over =
the Yellow River=2E Porterdale Mayor Paul Oeland said he had concerns ove=
r responsibilities Porterdale would have or want to have over the trail i=
n unincorporated Newton County=2C leading up to Newton High=2E
=93It makes no sense for us to build a trail in the county=2C=94 Oeland s=
aid=2E
In the end=2C the council agreed to move forward with the grant but direc=
ted Fox to focus the grant application only for the stretch of the trail =
within Porterdale city limits=2E
The GDOT will announce the grant recipients in March 2004=2E Governments =
will then have two years to begin the projects=2E Under GDOT grant guidel=
ines=2C the city cannot begin negotiating for purchase of the train depot=
 until after it has been awarded the grant=2C Fox said=2E
 =



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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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