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(rshsdepot) Mill Hall/Lock Haven, Pa.

Reposted from Lock Haven Express and NS Buffalo Line list:

RR station saved from demolition

By WENDY STIVER - wstiver_@_lockhaven.com

LOCK HAVEN - Council moves ahead with plans to relocate historic 
structure: The historic train station in Mill Hall can expect to go 
for a ride soon. The "little train station that could" has been 
adopted by City Council, citizens who see its potential and the Lock 
Haven University Professors Emeriti group, which has reportedly 
committed $15,000 to get it off its current site and into town.

Council voted Monday to be the local government agency that can "step 
in to save the historic structure from complete demolition" should no 
private developer come forward in time.

Elisabeth Lynch-McCoy of the Clinton County Planning Office brought 
cost estimates in writing to council. According to Earl Miller & Sons 
House Moving Co. of Everett, the 1,188 square-foot building could be 
moved at a cost of $12,000 to $15,000 all the way from Caboose Lane 
in Mill Hall to the triangular lot along the railroad tracks behind 
City Hall.

Removing the building's hip roof to make the move easier could cost 
$2,000 to $3,000, Lynch-McCoy reported, and the cost of a new roof 
could range from $4,000 to $5,000. Also, Workman Enterprises 
estimated the cost of a new foundation at $12,400. 

The contractors gave high-end estimates for planning purposes, Lynch-
McCoy added.

The station's owner, Bob Rightnour, not only offers the station free 
to anyone who can move it but also has extended the deadline from 
Sept. 1 to Oct. 1, according to Lynch-McCoy. He also owns the 
neighboring Rightnour Manufacturing Co. on Pennsylvania Avenue, Mill 
Hall, and plans to expand into the station's current site.

The timeline is to move the building to the new site by Oct. 1 where 
it would remain elevated until a new frost-free foundation can be 
built around the supports, Lynch-McCoy said. The moving company would 
like the new foundation in place within two months.

After that, the 1884 station could be restored for public use as 
funding becomes available.

State Rep. Michael Hanna, D-Lock Haven, believes Pennsylvania Wilds 
funding might apply to the project, the planner reported. Other 
potential funding sources are the state Department of Community and 
Economic Development, Pennsylvania Museum and Historic Commission, 
Clinton County Community Foundation, PennDOT's transportation grant 
program and private individuals.

"I have received numerous contacts from citizens who are excited," 
she said.

"Lock Haven is a gateway to the Pennsylvania Wilds," she said. "We 
are all working so hard together... I've seen such great teamwork in 
this area."

A common vision and stewardship can restore the old station for 
tourists and the general public, perhaps for excursion trains, she 
added.

The station currently houses a restaurant, but co-owners Michele 
Liddic and Tina Prough plan to move their business into the former 
Castanea Sub Shop, closing in Mill Hall on Sunday, Aug. 26 and 
opening at the new location Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Lynch-McCoy strongly encouraged the city to help get a committee 
going that would involve the city, the county, nonprofit groups and 
interested area residents.

"I don't know if any of you have ever been involved in a complete 
building remodel. I have been through two, and there is a lot of 
detail work. It's stewardship," she told council. "We have the 
winter... and there are a plethora of things steward volunteers can 
do."

"We need to keep moving forward," said Mayor Richard P. Vilello Jr. 
Councilman Alan D. Black followed his suggestion and made the 
successful motion.

"I really don't want the city to be in the real estate business..." 
the mayor said before the vote, with Black picking up the 
thought: "But this is our past."

"At what cost?" asked Councilman Jonathan Bravard. "Are we mortgaging 
our future?"

Ronald L. Smith, a volunteer on the city's Zoning Ordinance Update 
Steering Committee, asked for a show of hands from the 10 or so 
citizens at the meeting and got unanimous approval for this step.

The mayor said he hopes to see the structure in use in the near 
future.

He also agreed with Craig Johnson who suggested council consider 
placing the station near the proposed new hotel at Painter Stadium. 
Johnson's letter to the editor on the subject was published in The 
Express on July 31 and can be read at www.lockhaven.com.

More than half the estimated costs of moving the structure with its 
old roof and building a new foundation are already pledged, 
Councilman Richard L. Conklin pointed out.

"I really believe this community will cover the other half," he said.

The motion did not commit any tax dollars to the project, but Bravard 
registered the sole "no" vote.

"I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong," he said after the vote.

Section: News Posted: 8/7/2007

reposted by Alexander D. Mitchell IV

=================================
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 #1588
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org