Depot restoration gets back on track

Mike McCoy photo Shown above is the front side of the train depot on Southwest Main Street in Dexter. Bids are to be opened on a train depot renovation project on June 30. The original plan for restoring the depot was scaled back after bids last October were above the funding available. Restoration of the depot is hoped will help revitalize the downtown area and add another attraction. [Click to enlarge]

The project is to be funded with a $196,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with a local match of $62,000. The project has been in the planning stages for nearly eight years. Bids were opened on the project on October 30, 2008, but all the bids were too high and rejected. The city and committee has had to scale back the project in an effort to get the initial phase underway.

City Administrator Mark Stidham said the bids that were received in October would have required the city to come up with an additional $100,000, and the council felt that was not feasible. So the project went back to the engineering firm, Dille and Traxell, LLC, of Poplar Bluff to trim some of the costs.

Janet Coleman, Dexter Chamber of Commerce executive director and a member of the Tourism Committee, said the project will still include extensive renovations which will greatly improve the appearance of the old depot. The project calls for the installation of a new HVAC system, new electrical system and complete interior renovations. The kitchenette and restrooms also will be modernized and restored. The depot is 96' X 34'.

Coleman said one area that was scaled back is the masonry work on the exterior of the depot. The original specifications called for removal, cleaning and replacement of the brick work on the exterior. The new plan calls for repairs to damaged brick on the building followed by a good cleaning without removing the masonry. The exterior will also be repainted.

The floor in the main room of the depot was to be changed to tile in the original plan, but now will be repaired and polished without the installation of tile, according to Coleman. The ceiling, which had a blown in type of finish, will not be removed as called for originally. Instead it will be refinished. The old plan called for the construction of a new ornamental fence around the depot, but in the current plan the old wrought iron fence will be refurbished and left in place, according to Coleman. Other cutbacks were made in materials in an effort to get the project underway with the amount of funding available.

Coleman said the city will staff the new welcome center, which will be a distribution point for brochures, pamphlets and other information about the Dexter area. She said the committee is considering other uses for the historic building. Stidham said one consideration is for the depot to house a museum, which could highlight the importance of the railroad industry to the area through the years.

The city signed a 20-year lease with Union Pacific last year for use of the land on which the depot is situated. The city paid $7,500 for the lease. The lease was needed before the funding from MoDOT could be secured. The city originally had a five-year lease on the property.

Stidham said prior to the first bid opening that the city envisioned creating a park along the railroad tracks in Dexter stretching from Walnut Street to Catalpa Street. It would require the closing of the railroad crossing on Mulberry. The council approved closing that crossing in 2007. The area could feature walking and bike trails and could serve as a site for community events or festivals.

The bid opening on June 30 will be for restoration of the train depot only, Coleman noted. The bid opening will be at 10 a.m. at the Dexter Chamber of Commerce office. The Dexter Tourism Committee consists of Chairman Jerry Corder, Stidham, Coleman, Sherm Smith. Jr., Ken L. Minton, Jr., Toni Brown, Steve Duke, Joni Burleson, Kenny Patel and Gina Heath.

The Train Depot Committee was instrumental in getting the project going and procuring funding for the project. Depot Committee members are Chairman Steve Duke, Pete Parysek, Don Martin, Don Gard, Donna West, Ken Lang, Charles West, Mary Worley and Coleman.