Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:50 PM CST
Bids for depot restoration to be opened today
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Emily Gruenert wasn’t sure she had the correct address when she came to catch an Amtrak passenger train Thursday morning in this city.
“This was my first trip to this station. I was surprised by the run-down state of the building. I actually second-guessed if this was the right place,” said the Terre Haute, Ind., resident as she waited for a morning train.
In its “run-down state,” the 91-year-old train depot has raised the eyebrows of some train passengers accustomed to more modern facilities along the Canadian National Railroad line through Illinois. But Gruenert was glad to hear things could soon change with a bid letting scheduled for today on a long-awaited $3 million renovation of the historic structure.
“It will be great to see that,” said Gruenert, one of about 20 passengers ready to catch the 9:30 a.m. train. The Amtrak station averages about 85 passengers per day for six trains. “I think it will definitely be worth the investment. I think taking a train is a great bargain for a trip to Chicago.”
With $2.74 million in federal funding and about $400,000 in private donations, the depot project will repair, restore and replace many components within the facility that first hosted passengers along Illinois Central Railroad during World War I.
Mattoon City Administrator Alan Gilmore said there is a long list of work ahead if bids are acceptable: installation of a new public elevator; restoration of the floor, staircase and windows; plaster repairs; painting; masonry restoration; plumbing, electrical and climate control changes; addition of a local history museum; ticket kiosk repairs; and structural repairs.
The building was saved from possible demolition several years ago when a roof restoration halted ongoing water damage. A partnership between the city of Mattoon and the Coles County Historical Society helped secure federal funding for the restoration work.
It’s been an eight-year process, said Gilmore, city administrator for the past three years.
Bids will be opened this afternoon at City Hall.
“The architect estimates all the work will take about 18 months,” said Gilmore. If a general contractor bid is accepted, then work could start in a matter of months, he added.
Current users of the depot will see firsthand how restoration progresses.
“I think any historic building should be restored. We should keep the things we have,” said Janell Wargo, an Eastern Illinois University student traveling to Chicago to connect for a trip to Minnesota.
Wargo said an elevator will be helpful for many visitors to the facility.
“For my grandparents, an elevator will be great,” Wargo said.
As he ascended the long staircase, Kyle Reese, a Southern Illinois University student stopping in Mattoon on Thursday, said he was glad to hear of the plans to restore the facility. He said it is quite different from the “airport-style” design of the Amtrak station in Carbondale.
“It’s cool. I like older places like this. It definitely needs to be renovated,” he said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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