(rshsdepot) Plainfield, NJ

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

City train station dedicated to officer

By LARRY HIGGS
Staff Writer
Published in the Courier News on May 1, 2003

On March 15, 1985, Powlett became the first female police officer in New
Jersey killed in the line of duty after she responded to a call about a man
with a gun at Meadowbrook Village. She was shot by a drifter who grabbed her
gun and held her hostage.



"Honoring her gives us closure in the department," said Edythe Priester of
Plainfield, a retired 911 operator who was working the night Powlett died.

Powlett`s daughter, Noreen Powlett of Newark, fought back tears, and pain
could be heard in her voice as she remembered her mother and thanked the
community. A wall of white- and blue-shirted city police officers stood
behind her in solemn tribute.

"It is good to know she won`t be forgotten by the people she served and
protected," Powlett said. "It gives me pleasure to know you still care about
her."

The idea of dedicating the station to Powlett was suggested by Assemblywoman
Linda Stender, D-Fanwood, police Chief Edward Santiago said.

"We knew her as Abby. She was a class act, and this is a fitting tribute,"
Santiago said. "This is a beautiful building."

Stender recalled the horror she felt after Powlett`s death, and how she`d
clipped a newspaper article about memorial services for her. When NJ Transit
officials contacted her about dedicating the station, Stender suggested
Powlett for the honor and sent them the clipping.

Mayor Al McWilliams proclaimed Wednesday "Abigail Powlett day" in the city,
adding she`d be remembered for the tremendous bravery she displayed.

"Dedicating this train station to her is fitting," said Jack Lettiere, state
transportation commissioner. "It`s not just another train station. It`s a
comforting welcome home at the end of a long day. What a fitting tribute to
Abigail Powlett."

The downtown brick station building, constructed in 1901, has been restored
to its turn-of-the-century splendor. It also features modern improvements,
such as high-level platforms, station canopies, lighting, elevators and
ramps for handicapped riders.

Plainfield historians, the state Office of Historic Preservation, the
Raritan Valley Rail Coalition and Union County all participated in the $12.4
million project.

The station underwent a modernization in the 1970s. Woodwork and wainscoting
on the walls had been covered with paneling, and windows in the head house
of the station tower were lost to a drop ceiling, said Peter Vahala, retired
NJ Transit supervising architect, who started the project.

"It was an old building which was badly deteriorated," said Bob Nott, NJ
Transit principal architect who finished the project.

Larry Higgs can be reached at (908) 707-3134 or lhiggs_@_c-n.com.

Through the project:
The station interior was restored, and stained glass windows were added.

  a.. A tunnel between tracks was re-opened after 20 years, and security
cameras and two police call boxes were installed, Vahala said.
  b.. A pavilion was constructed on the westbound side of the tracks at the
site of an old station building that was demolished.
"This is economic development," said Lewis Mingo, Union County freeholder
and Raritan Valley Rail Coalition chairman. "It is part of the whole process
of revitalizing the city."

Bill Wright, a New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers director,
agreed with Mingo`s assessment.

"The station rehabilitation will do a lot to revitalize the city," Wright
said. "This is a great catalyst."

Riders waiting for trains said the restoration is a great improvement.

"It`s much cleaner. They covered everything riders needed," said rider
Thomas Acevedo of South Bound Brook.





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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 #651
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org