All Aboard to Sandpoint, Idaho
Groups Agree to Maintain Train Service and Renovate Historic Depot
By Sarah Campbell | Online Only | Aug. 4, 2011
For residents of Sandpoint, Idaho, the sound of a train whistle signals a job well done. Following years of uncertainty, the historic Sandpoint Burlington Northern Railway Station (now known as the Sandpoint Train Station) will remain the Idaho town's train stop after the City of Sandpoint, Amtrak, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway reached a tentative agreement in late June. The written agreement, which officials and residents hope will be finalized this fall, comes after many options for the National Register-listed depot were considered—including abandoning the historic structure and building a new depot outside of town.
"[It would have been] taking public transit away from the public," says Aric Spence, a local preservationist who led efforts to save the depot. The station was closed in June 2009 after the building's deteriorating ceiling caused safety concerns, making it a platform-only stop. Originally, it serviced the Northern Pacific Railroad, the first northern transcontinental route in the nation. Today, the Gothic-style depot is the only Amtrak stop in the state and the last remaining structure from the city's original townsite.
"It's unique," says Spence, but "there's been no maintenance to the structure for 30 years."
Two-and-a-half years ago, Spence joined the Sandpoint Historic Preservation Commission to advocate for the depot's preservation. "I've been in Sandpoint for 35 years, for most of my life," he says. "I was concerned we were losing pieces of history."
Around that time, the Idaho Transportation Department was beginning construction on Sand Creek Byway, a road designed to reroute busy U.S. Highway 95 around downtown Sandpoint. In an email, Spence says the highway project brought urgency to saving the depot because of proximity: "The interstate highway project is located roughly 40 feet from the west side of the depot, and with the depot in such disrepair, many thought it was only a matter of time until it was going to be torn down."
He phoned Amtrak and BNSF employees, created a website documenting the depot, took photos, and gave interviews to local TV stations. In July 2009, the historic preservation commission voted to explore the possibility of acquiring the depot and, four months later, the city convinced Amtrak to remain at the depot.
According to City Councilwoman Carrie Logan, the Idaho Department of Transportation gave BNSF $921,664 for Amtrak to use on the depot as part of negotiations for the Sand Creek Byway project. "BNSF recognizes the historic significance of this structure and is working with the city and Amtrak on a rehabilitation plan," Gus Melonas, a BNSF Regional Director of Corporate Relations, said in a statement.
"Amtrak's funding was key," says Spence. "That amount of money does a lot of restoration."
Logan estimates the depot will reopen its doors next fall, but that depends on when the written agreement is finalized. The planned renovation will stabilize the structure and provide restrooms and a waiting area for Amtrak customers. In addition, Sandpoint may develop retail space within the depot.
Spence is just glad the depot will get the care it deserves. "All tracks from the East funnel into one line in Sandpoint," he says. "People come here to watch the trains." And alongside the commercial trains chugging through Sandpoint, those up late will hear Amtrak's whistle pierce through the night.
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Comments
Submitted by MSchalk at: August 17, 2011
Here is what I do NOT get - Why would a Landlord collect rent for 40 years and not do a thing to fix the building - causing the tenent to move out. And... Why not have the business sense to develop the unused part of the building for retail, THEMSELVES?