(rshsdepot) New Bern, NC

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From the Sun Journal.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Railroad representatives say depot can be restored at present  location

May 20, 2008 - 10:00PM
Nikie Mayo
Sun Journal

North Carolina Railroad representatives told city leaders Tuesday that they  
are still willing to restore New Bern's Union Station at its current location, 
 but said the city needs to be aware of the safety risks.
 
Chuck Burnell, the vice president for the company, said the state has  
handled many depot-restoration projects, but few of the train stations the  company 
has seen restored are as close to in-use train tracks as the one in New  Bern.
 
A Queen Street landmark since 1910, the depot is barely far enough from the  
tracks to meet minimum state requirements for clearance. Those requirements 
that  say a building should sit at least 18 feet from the centerline of the 
train  tracks. The downtown depot sits 20 feet away from the active tracks, 
Burnell  said.
 
"We're still open to the idea of renovating the depot in place, but safety  
is our first concern," Burnell told aldermen during their work session Tuesday  
night.
 

The depot is owned by N.C. Railroad, a privately run company owned by the  
state. Norfolk Southern has a lease agreement with the state to use the tracks  
and is concerned about the risk posed if there are renovations happening near  
those tracks, he said.
 
"We're willing to listen to whatever the city can offer," Burnell said.  "But 
this will not be easy."
 
Moving the depot could cost $1 million, he said.  Restoring the  building 
could conservatively cost $3 million.
 
The N.C. Railroad has committed $300,000 toward that and the city had hoped  
that a private developer would take on the rest of the moving and restoration  
expense.
 
So far, no deals have been made with developers.
 
And then there's the matter of just where the depot would  go if it  were  
moved.
 
That isn't known. The city may ask the Historic Preservation Commission to  
take the lead on determining a downtown location.
 
Aldermen Robert Raynor contends that the commission should be more active  on 
the depot project. He said the commission was supposed to handle most of the  
legwork and that the city was to commit to provide "in-kind services" related 
to  the restoration.
 
"Next thing I know, the whole thing is dumped in the city's lap," Raynor  
said. "You can't just dump this on the city and then try to set our budget. We  
have other projects we have to work on."
 
Members of the Preservation Legal Action Trust say they hope the city can  
restore the depot at the present location and save the expense and worry of  
moving a historic building. They have a petition signed by about a thousand  
people calling for the expedient restoration of the depot.
 
Burnell said the state is not forcing the city to make a decision right  now.
 
"We're not putting you on deadline," he said. "But the clock is  ticking."



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