(rshsdepot) St. Paul, MN

["J. Henry Priebe Jr." <root_@_bluemoon.net>]

Ramsey County approves final land purchase for St. Paul's Union Depot transit
hub

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_12506871

Thanks again to Alco83 in the railfan.net forum for the heads up.

Henry

J. Henry Priebe Jr.    Blue Moon Internet Corp Network Administrator
www.bluemoon.net       Internet Access & Web Hosting
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Ramsey County approves final land purchase for St. Paul's Union Depot transit
hub

Board OKs final land purchase; next step is to repair, upgrade building
By Dave Orrick 
dorrick_@_pioneerpress.com
Updated: 06/02/2009 11:44:17 PM CDT


Ramsey County commissioners Tuesday approved the $8.2 million purchase of the
front of the Union Depot along Fourth Street in Lowertown. 

The purchase moves the county forward in its vision to transform the landmark
into a transit hub, once again hosting passenger trains, the planned Central
Corridor light-rail line and local and regional buses as well as playing host
to restaurants and shops and resurrecting the prominence the grand station
once had. 

To that end, Christo's restaurant will remain open, and 39 condominiums in the
building will remain unaffected, according to pre-existing agreements and new
actions approved Tuesday. Commissioners, wearing their hats as directors of
the county Regional Railroad Facility, voted 6-0 (Tony Bennett was absent) to
approve the purchase. The move makes them landlords of the restaurant, condos
and parking. 

But before then, there's plenty of work . $350,000 immediately and nearly $1
million more in the next two years . to be done on the 86-year-old
neoclassical building. 

The closing, set for Thursday, signifies the final step for the county to buy
the entire Union Depot property, which stretches over Kellogg Boulevard and
encompasses several acres. The county already is under contract to pay almost
$50 million to buy the rear of the building from the U.S. Postal Service,
which is planning to move its operations into Dakota County next year. 

The front portion, known as the Head House and containing a glass ceiling and
marble three-story lobby, must be upgraded to meet safety requirements for its
new purpose. For example, the building must be accessible to people with
disabilities. 

"There are serious challenges related to accessible path of travel on-site, up
and into the Depot building for the anticipated change of use," according to a
due diligence report on the site. 

"There are some major chunks of the sidewalks and curbs that we need to deal
with," said Jolly Mangine, property manager for the county. 

A reglazing of the skylights is among the $350,000 in immediate repairs
needed, but a full replacement of the skylights and roof will be required. In
all, $979,000 in needed repairs is projected over the next two years. 

Further repairs are likely but estimates will require further study. For
example, the building likely contains asbestos and possibly lead paint, but no
one is sure how much, and heat-sensing equipment will be brought in to examine
older parts of the electrical system. 

Because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, the St.
Paul Heritage Preservation Commission must approve a number of the repairs and
changes. 

Nonetheless, the stout structure is fundamentally sound, according to the
report. 

"The infrastructure or 'bones' of the Union Depot property is in relatively
impressive condition," it states. "Considering the building age, multiple
renovation efforts and attempts to repurpose the property over many decades,
the property has maintained much of its historic character and solid
structure."




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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1897
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org