(rshsdepot) Hattiesburg, MS

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Hattiesburg seeks input on train depot
By JOANNA HOLBERT, Writer for THE JOURNAL

The Times of South Mississippi



Seeking input on the revitalization of the Hattiesburg Train Depot, Mayor
Johnny DuPree took Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith and chairman of the
Amtrak Board Gil Carmichael on a tour of the Hattiesburg Depot project and
surrounding downtown developments last week.

"Gil Carmichael is here to help us look at a way of reforming Amtrak in
Hattiesburg," said DuPree. "He will help us by providing insight on this
project."

Carmichael's ideas for the depot include several forms of transportation
including train, Greyhound Bus Services and public transportation.

"This project is designed to bring people into downtown," he said, "and the
way to do that is by restoring the depot as the heart of the city's public
transportation."

Carmichael was Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration under
the first Bush presidency and most recently was chairman of the Amtrak
Reform Council.

During his time as administrator of the railroad administration, Carmichael
restored train stations in 130 cities in the country.

"What we try to do is restore the train stations and make them the transport
center of the city," said Carmichael. "Hattiesburg has a beautiful building
and it is going to be really elegant when it is finished."

Hattiesburg and Meridian are the only two designated stops in Mississippi
along the High Speed Rail Corridor.

In November, Smith and Carmichael hosted a group of Hattiesburg city
officials and community leaders to tour Meridian's depot restoration
project.

"Hattiesburg is farther ahead of the game than Meridian was," he said,
"because the Meridian Depot had been torn down, and we had to go in and
rebuild the station according to pictures of what it used to look like."

"This project is designed to bring people into downtown," DuPree said, "and
the way to do that is by restoring the depot as the heart of the city's
public transportation.

"Mayor Smith and Mr. Carmichael, like many of us in Hattiesburg, share a
strong commitment to the future of intermodal transportation. I appreciate
their guidance and interest in helping Hattiesburg's project be as
successful as Meridian's."

The tour included stops at the depot as well as one of the new downtown loft
apartments and the Walnut Square development.

Earlier last week, the City of Hattiesburg brought in 30 students from
Mississippi State University to provide insight into the restoration process
of downtown Hattiesburg, particularly the Mobile Street area.

Officials with the City of Hattiesburg as well as the Historic Hattiesburg
Downtown Association agree the restoration of the downtown area is critical
to the development of the city.

"The downtown area is the heart of a community, if it suffers then the
community suffers," said Bernice Linton, executive director of the downtown
association.

"The first place developers look when looking at a community it the downtown
area, and for a while Hattiesburg missed out, but that is all changing,"
said Linton.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #593
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org