Depot too important to area to be abandoned

A bit ago, I passed through Sandpoint and was surprised to see (at long last) that work had begun on the highway bypass. I was equally surprised to see that work was being performed on the Sandpoint Amtrak station. After some research, I discovered the work was only to stabilize the structure in preparation for constructing the bypass. I was very disappointed to discover that in spite of the work, Amtrak may abandon the structure and move to an as-yet-to-be constructed “station” north of the city.

Sandpoint is one of the most picturesque cities anywhere — uniquely situated on beautiful Lake Pend Oreille and surrounded by mountains. Unlike many cities its size, the downtown area remains vibrant. Located downtown and adjacent to the lakeshore is Sandpoint’s Amtrak train station. Despite the relatively unpalatable times that the passenger trains stop, the station is perfectly located next to the things that are most quintessentially Sandpoint: the downtown and the lake. Indeed, I have friends in Montana and the Seattle area who have actually enjoyed a short vacation in one of the downtown lakeside hotels and traveled to and from Sandpoint via train. In spite of the middle of the night arrival times, the proximity to downtown and the lake still made the train their choice of travel.

I also was surprised to discover was how few are aware of Amtrak’s possible plans to vacate the current station and the downtown area. Clearly, the current station needs work. The outside brick is crumbling, and the inside is worn and shows that little to none has spent to maintain the few rail passenger stations remaining in use in this country. This is a double standard, of course. Sandpoint is the only city in Idaho that has intercity rail passenger service.

While the station needs repairs, it might still be much more cost-effective to upgrade in the long run than to build a new station. I know it won’t be close to downtown or the lake. Will it even have heat, lighting, and restrooms? Many Amtrak stations nationwide are but a short platform. Sandpoint, if for no other reason than the extremely cold mid-winter temperatures, needs and deserves more.

But I’d like to see Sandpoint take this “lemon” Amtrak is proposing and make some really sweet lemonade. All over the country, cities are renovating their railroad stations to become centerpieces of their communities (probably the best example is in Mineola, Texas). The location of Sandpoint’s station would make it a natural for a similar renovation. If a tunnel is built underneath the new bypass to connect downtown Sandpoint with the current station via the Cedar Creek Bridge, this would be a great opportunity to create another city visitors’ center and/or museum, focusing on the city’s history and importance to the area’s numerous railroads. While the current poor train arrival times would always be somewhat of a hindrance, there’s no reason Sandpoint’s station couldn’t be transformed into a facility much like the one in Whitefish, Mont. In 2008, about 6,000 people arrived and departed by train at Sandpoint, but more than 72,000 did the same at Whitefish. There are many similarities between Whitefish and Sandpoint with regard to tourist attractions, but Sandpoint, through the nearby Coeur d’Alene area, is closer to a much larger population.

I urge residents of Sandpoint, and those that enjoy Sandpoint as I do, to take the necessary steps to not only retain your lakeside Amtrak station, but to mold it into something that will not only create community pride, but will result in bringing more visitors to your idyllic city on the lake. For those interested, the “Great American Stations” project (www.greatamericanstations.com) is a great place to start.  Sandpoint is a first class city, with a first class location. You deserve a first class train station because it will be, for some, the first impression of your community.

• Mark Meyer is a Montana native and current resident of Fort Worth, Texas.