The city of Maysville has approved a motion to purchase the old CSX train depot, given CSX will be relocating to a larger yard.
According to Project Manager David Hord, the city expects to spend $120,000 on the purchase and restoration of the depot. Though the city is still in negotiations with CSX, the plan to purchase and restore the depot has been circulating for about five years.
Hord said CSX has been trying to sell all of its old depots across the country, as a means of preparing for bigger and better depots and yards. However, the depots must be sold to city entities. The purchase can not be in a private manner. This is how the city came to be given the opportunity to purchase the building located behind the floodway in the city’s west end near Caproni’s Restaurant.
Before the city can purchase the depot, the property must be surveyed to see what needs to be done in terms of reconstruction, according to Hord. Though some of the property has been restored already, there could still be issues unseen.
According to Hord, as part of negotiations, the city must keep the depot connected to Amtrak. Currently, Amtrak is doing “its part” of the restoration on the interior of the building. Hord said the windows, ceiling/roof, sidewalks, and bathrooms have already been completed. The city performed some exterior work on the facility as part of a Transportation Enhancement grant it received.
The city, upon purchasing the depot, must maintain a ticket booth and a boarding station at the depot, as part of an agreement. The ticket booth and boarding station will be run through Amtrak, according to Hord. Hord said Amtrak plans to add a handicapped boarding station, in order to give a safer experience. This will likely be completed in the upcoming weeks.
After Amtrak completes its planned projects, the city will hold a meeting on March 8 with contractors to discuss a plan for the depot’s restoration, according to Hord. After the meeting takes place, restoration can begin.
The city plans to paint the property, and attempt to preserve the brick and concrete foundations. The box gutters and pillars are among the items that will be repainted once the city is able.
According to City Manager Matt Wallingford and Hord, the purpose of purchasing the depot is part of an attempt to revitalize parts of downtown Maysville. He feels that it will be a good way to bring Maysville’s history to life, especially for people visiting from out of town.
“I feel like this is a great project for the city Of Maysville. Not only do we preserve the history (of the city), we will also help to revitalize the west end of town as the project was initially set to do,” said Hord. “Sidewalks were completed a few years back and we are looking at other projects to connect the west and east ends of town in the near future.”
Currently, according to Wallingford, there are no plans set in stone for the property, except for restoration. The city may, or may not, sell or re-purpose the property after restoration has been completed.
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