(rshsdepot) Eugene, OR

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From Northwest Rails.com...

City of Eugene Will Purchase Depot

-From March 30th: The city of Eugene is picking up steam in its plans to buy
and refurbish the train depot at the north of Willamette Street in Eugene.

The city and the station's owner, Jenova Land Company, are expected to sign
an agreement as early as this week.

The terms of the deal aren't public yet, but the price for the depot and
surrounding parcels is expected to be in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.

The purchase will include the former Railroad Express Agency office east of
the depot, a building rail advocates see as a possible new home for
Greyhound's bus station. The city is waiting for an appraisal of that
parcel.

In another development, Amtrak plans to give up to $1 million for the
project, which the city expects will cost about $5 million. Previously the
city wasn't sure how much it would see from Amtrak, which leases the 93-year
old depot.

So far the city has raised another $2.75 million in federal grants, leaving
it more than $1 million short of what is needed to restore, repair and
modernize the station.

The project is running behind schedule, largely due to the city's
difficulties in securing funding and negotiating the purchase of the
property. Originally the city had hoped to be restoring the depot by now.

The project may include expanding the building to give passengers and Amtrak
workers more room. At the least, the ticket counters and baggage area will
be reconfigured.

Previous studies have indicated a need for more space for passengers,
including a raised platform for easy boarding, as train use grows. In
February, monthly ridership between Eugene and Portland was up 27 percent
-From a year earlier.

In the first phase, the city will do as much construction as it can with
available funds. Officials probably will focus on removing hazardous
materials, such as asbestos inside the building and an underground storage
tank outside, and work to make the structure more functional as a train
station.

The traffic circulation and parking projects might wait for the second and
final phase of construction, in 2003 or 2004, depending on the city's
success at finding more money. The city plans to extend Oak Street north to
Fifth Avenue for a second access to the station.

The single story Romanesque Revival-style building was built in 1907 by
Southern Pacific Railroad.

Thanks to the Eugene Register-Guard

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