Sandpoint depot at crossroads

SANDPOINT — Amtrak expects to decide by the end of the year whether it will cease using the historic Sandpoint depot as a stop for its passenger rail service.

“No decisions have been made and we’re still looking at our options,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.

Magliari cites construction of the U.S. Highway 95 bypass as a factor in the relocation question.

“Certainly, the access to the station and its parking are issues that we’re working through. That’s why there’s been some discussion of relocation, but there is no decision about relocating from this station at this time,” he said.

But the Idaho Transportation Department maintains there have been ample discussions with Amtrak concerning improving access to depot, which is owned by BNSF Railway.

The upshot of the negotiations was $800,000 in compensation to Amtrak and the construction of a paved road to the depot that was wide enough to accommodate two-way traffic and the maneuvering of buses, in addition to parking areas.

“What we’re putting in is far better than what’s there now,” said ITD spokeswoman Barbara Babic.

The state also paid to have the 93-year-old depot shored up and will monitor the building to protect it during construction of the Sand Creek Byway.

Magliari said Amtrak is contemplating putting a new facility somewhere in the greater Sandpoint area and restoring a dimmed out route called the North Coast Hiawatha.

“We’re going to study and produce a report that looks at the possibilities, and the costs and opportunities of restoring the North Coast Hiawatha service,” he said.

The Sandpoint depot is currently a stop on the Empire Builder route, but also served the North Coast Hiawatha until 1979, when the route was discontinued.

Also, Amtrak has obtained federal economic stimulus funding to bring stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2010.

“We’re going to have to come to a conclusion soon,” Magliari said.

Some in Sandpoint are hoping that conclusion will be to improve the depot and retain it as an Amtrak stop.

“I’m still hoping to convince them not to abandon it,” said depot advocate Aric Spence, who started a Web site dedicated to the depot and to provide a forum for people to voice their support for the historic landmark (www.sandpointtrainstation.com).

The depot was built for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1916 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Rail historians contend the station is particularly unique because it was a departure from the typical design of other Northern Pacific stations.

It’s also within walking distance of downtown and keeping the station as a functioning Amtrak stop only adds to the depot’s cachet, said Spence.

“A museum or an old depot that’s been abandoned is really a dime a dozen,” said Spence.

But Spence insists Amtrak officials have told him in no uncertain terms that the depot will be abandoned as a stop. He said there’s also been talk of relocating the stop to an ultra-spartan facility not unlike a bus stop shelter on Sandpoint’s northwestern outskirts.

Spence, who chairs the Sandpoint Historic Preservation Commission’s depot subcommittee, believes there is strong commission support for an effort to preserve and restore the depot, although a formal recommendation to the City Council has not been made yet.

Former Mayor Ray Miller had made overtures to BNSF about acquiring the depot, but the negotiations did not pan out before his term ended.

Current Mayor Gretchen Hellar said if the city were to somehow end up with the building, the question would be how to pay for renovations and upkeep.

“To make a decision now would almost be irresponsible, but it would not be irresponsible to try and find out as much information as we can,” she said.