Another meeting of the Save The Depot committee is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 18, at the Syracuse Community Center.
This committee is hoping to restore and find another use for the old B&O train depot in Syracuse. The depot was closed in the early 1970s when train passenger service ceased.
Regular readers of The Mail-Journal will know trying to save the depot, which has deteriorated considerably on the outside but is still structurally sound, has been an ongoing issue. Transfer of ownership papers from CSX, owners of the railroad now and the old depot, have yet to be finalized. And until the committee gets control of the site, no grants can be applied for to restore and relocate the building.
Committee members have also grown frustrated, and understandably so, with no responses to repeated phone calls to CSX. Finally, though, a counter offer was made from CSX concerning the amount of money it wants the committee to raise to proceed with transfer of ownership. More details will likely be revealed at the May 18 committee meeting.
We can sympathize with the committee concerning the difficulty of making any contact with the railroad corporation.
At the last meeting of the committee April 20, it was suggested to contact U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman to see if he could aid in the efforts to save the depot. We'll keep a close eye on this and see if it results in the process moving any quicker.
Some wonder why anyone would bother to save an old building. It is a legitimate question and should be addressed.
The old train depot is a part of local history. When railroads first came through, they opened up the outside world to mostly isolated residents. The train station was a community gathering place and sometimes news from the outside world arrived at the depot first. Some have termed depots as the "Internet" of that era because that is where people connected with each other.
If a suitable use for the building can be found and the funds are obtained through grants, why not save it? Look no further than nearby communities to see positive uses of old railway depots. Nappanee's is home for a food pantry. The one in Wakarusa is part of a museum complex and a rededication ceremony was recently held for the old depot in Bremen, which was moved from its original location. It will house a railroad museum.
None of this would have happened without strong commitments from groups of people who thought it was important to save a landmark.
Saving a local history landmark may not always be the wisest move, but neither is demolishing all of them. Historic landmarks are visible reminders of a town's heritage. Not all cities or towns were fortunate enough to have railroad passenger service (North Webster for example), but Syracuse was and the railroad figures prominently in how the town was shaped and formed.
We'll continue to follow the developments of this story. And we encourage those with an interest in saving the depot to attend next week's meeting. |
