Plans for restoring the old Southern Railroad depot may soon be put into effect, according to City Clerk Brent Morrison.Morrison said the City Council empowered Mayor Jim Garner to execute the necessary legal documents for the transfer of ownership of the building and the leasing of the property.
The clerk said Garner has signed all the documents, they had been forwarded to the company and he was expecting the city’s fully signed copies back within the next week or so.
At that point, the city will be given a key to the depot building and work can begin.
A depot committee meeting last week resulted in preliminary plans for the first steps to be taken on restoring what is reported to be one of the oldest buildings in the city’s history.
Morrison said the committee members, consisting of representatives of the historical group, the Chamber of Commerce, the clerk and the heads of the electrical and street departments, decided to work on the exterior portion of the building first.
He said this would mean repairing any of the understructure of the depot to ensure its “structural integrity,” sandblasting away all the old paint, repairing any rotted wood and completely painting the building its original color.
At that point, according to the clerk, definite plans would be made toward restoring the interior of the structure.
When completely renovated, the depot will house a display of artifacts and documents from this city’s past, a chamber office and a large meeting room.
The depot, when restored, will also serve as a local welcome center.
