Panel votes to pursue depot purchase

SANDPOINT — The ever-evolving story of Sandpoint’s train station took another turn Tuesday when the city’s Historic Preservation Commission voted to pursue acquisition of the aging depot.

The 93-year-old depot’s fate has been in question since Amtrak officials announced in June they were considering abandoning or relocating their Sandpoint stop.

Reached Tuesday, Amtrak spokesperson Vernae Graham said the company does not intend to leave the station, but would not specify long-term plans for the depot, which is owned by BNSF Railway.

At its Tuesday meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission took up the issue, approving a handful of motions meant to maintain the station and renovate the depot.

Commission chairman Aric Spence said that he will present several options to the City Council, all aimed at acquiring the historic structure and partnering with Amtrak on renovation efforts.

“(Amtrak feels) like the station requires more money than they want to put into it and more money than they think BNSF is going to put into it,” he said. “So the only real solution is acquisition, either by the city, or a partnership between the city and the Historic Preservation Commission, or the Historic Preservation Commission (on its own).”

The City Council unanimously passed a resolution of support for the depot at its July meeting, but stopped short offering to purchase the building. BNSF put a deal on the table in 2003 to sell the depot for $1, and Spence believes that offer might still be available if the city is interested.

She has yet to officially weigh in on the matter, but Mayor Gretchen Hellar said she sees a number of potential problems with a city-owned depot.

“What scares me is not knowing, number one, how much it’s going to cost to restore and where that money’s coming from. That’s one big issue,” she said. “The next issue is the ongoing maintenance of the building.”

Hellar would not object to the Historic Preservation Commission acquiring the depot as long as the city is not liable, but said she needs to see a more detailed plan before she could support the city purchasing it.

“This is all pie in the sky,” she said “I need to see what the legal requirements are and I need to see a business plan for it, because I can’t ask the council to commit money unless I have an idea that it’s going to at least break even.”

While he admits purchasing the depot is not the ideal situation, Spence said it might be the only way to keep the station in town.

“I’m not about the city acquiring all these public structures in town … but I think this is a unique situation where if the city does not come along and invest in the community, essentially, by acquiring this thing, then Amtrak is going to stop using it. Then we’ve lost really what the station is about.”

Amtrak officials have scheduled a September meeting with the city and other concerned parties to discuss options for the depot.