Sign marks progress of Charles City’s Save the Depot campaign

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

It may be cold outside, but the temperature is rising at the old Milwaukee Road Depot in Charles City.

As the latest visible indicator in the campaign to relocate the historic train station, a newly installed “thermometer” sign at the depot site on North Grand Avenue will show the progress toward the fundraising goal of $300,000 to $350,000.

Since local retired attorney and WWII veteran Jim Smith offered up to $100,000 in early December to match any new gifts toward the project, about $20,000 has been donated, meaning with the match the campaign is $40,000 closer to its goal.

Bob Moen, head of the American Passenger Train History Museum that is proposed to be located in the relocated depot and which would include passenger rail cars that Moen and his group are refurbishing, said the group had raised about $100,000 before Smith offered the matching challenge for future donations.

That figure included donations from two former Charles City residents, Judy Sebern Beachy and David McCartney, who pledged $50,000 and $20,000.

The group also hopes to receive $50,000 or $60,000 in in-kind donations from contractors or other businesses to help with the project, such as the needed excavation and constructing a foundation on the proposed new site for the depot, at the corner of North Grand Avenue and 11th Avenue, next to the restored Charles City Western Railroad depot that is now the headquarters of Stacy Ackerson’s Shankland Insurance.

Dean Andrews, the Charles City mayor, has jumped wholeheartedly into the effort to save the depot, which in its new location could also be a trailhead for the city’s trail system as well as offer public meeting space in addition to being a part of a passenger train museum.

Andrews said the group has taken the possibility of in-kind contributions out of the equation for now.

“The money that we have, this $140,000, is real money. Either money in the bank or pledged, people who’ve said ‘I’ll give you $1,000, let me know when to write a check,’” Andrews said.

Andrews has said previously that he was contacted by Canadian Pacific, which has for years wanted to demolish the no-longer-used depot over liability concerns. The railroad wants an answer by March 31 if moving the depot is going to be a reality, he said.

“I think they’re going to be lenient if we say, ‘Well, it’s April 1 and we’re three-fourths of the way there.” They’re going to say, ‘Good, keep going.’ They would rather see it restored than torn down,” Andrews said.

He said there is also a possibility that the railroad would donate to the relocation campaign the money that it would cost to demolish the building and level the site.

“They’ve given an indication. We haven’t seen it in writing yet,” Andrews said.

Moen said, “They’ve indicated they probably would be open to that, and we’re trying to see if we can get them to donate the guy who has to watch while they dig next to the depot (getting it ready to be moved), because they’ve got to have a person with a radio with trains coming while we’re digging. That’s another expense.”

Moen said representatives of the company being looked at to do the actual building moving, Thein Moving Co., of Clara City, Minnesota, were at the site Monday morning, looking at the building and potential moving routes.

The cost of the actual move will be about $175,000, Moen said, adding that the moving company was coming up with a more exact estimate after the visit.

In addition to that cost, Andrews said, there is excavation work, foundation work, moving some power lines — although Moen said a route he suggested that goes around to the east instead of going directly south to the new location could avoid many of the wires.

Moen is donating property he already owns for the new location of the depot and museum.

Justin Nelson, a member of the museum board, said the moving company people were impressed with the condition of the depot and the ability to successfully move it.

“Everything out of the meeting this morning was very positive,” Nelson said Monday afternoon. “Everything is looking up. If we can get to the monetary goal we should be able to move it.”

Marking that progress will be the new thermometer sign, built by Dave Scrimger.

“Watch the sign grow,” said Andrews.

“We’re making good progress,” said Nelson.

Moen added, “And once we get there we can start Round Two of funding for restoration, like heating, electrical, all that. But there’s a lot of grant money available that we can match against to do that, whereas they don’t give you grants for moving buildings.”