GALION, Ohio–The future of Galion’s Big Four Depot building has been questioned for years. Ideas range from making it a restaurant, to turning it into a gift shop, to making it into a railroad themed bar.
Monday participants at a community meeting held at the Peace Lutheran Church in Galion explored those ideas. City Consultant Wendy Zucal led the discussion.
Zucal is the director of the Dennison depot and has experience dealing with depot buildings. She described the railroad depot building as a “window into the world.”
The Big Four Depot station was dedicated in 1900 and became division headquarters for the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Big Four.
During Tuesday’s meeting many ideas were discussed, but Zucal wants to take things to the next step. She suggested establishing a nonprofit board that would consist of nine trustees. That board would ultimately decide what to do with the city-owned building.
During the meeting, interested citizens were given volunteer sheets to fill out to be considered for one of these positions. Once the board is formed Zucal said, “The board will have to be committed over a long period of time.”
They will do a SWOT analysis and generate specific goals. A SWOT analysis is used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in a project business venture.
Mayor Tom O’Leary said that safety is a top priority when it comes to the depot due to the depot’s proximity to the active railroad tracks right next to it. The possibility of a fence was discussed and is an option. O’Leary also suggested that train noise could also play a factor in what the building may become. As an example, he said if a wedding were to take place there the ceremony may have to pause for a passing train.
The board would have to consider variables when making their final decision on what to do with the depot. O’Leary said the next step in the process is “building strategic partnerships with the railroads.”
Partnering with CSX Transportation was suggested for the project. Other possible partner suggestions were area and veteran foundations and other community groups.
Suggestions for the depot building included turning it into a small hotel, ice cream shop, coffee house, bar, community center, bus station, gift shop, railroad museum, memorial space, or a rental facility. Zucal shared what other depots have been doing with their stations in Ohio and those things included using them for office space, turning them into theaters, and using them for train rides.
She also said that at one time there were over 40,000 of these depots in the United States with 400 of them in Ohio. That number has been shrinking over the years due to the reduction of passenger trains. Many depot buildings sit vacant but Zucal hopes that won’t be the case for much longer.
Mayor O’Leary said that plans are in place to have the building inspected on Wednesday morning. Coon Restoration and Sealant Inc. have been contracted by the city to do any necessary repairs. Those repairs include reinforcing the foundation on the west side of the building, mortar replacement, reinforcing the door, and repairing windows.
A fund of $50,000 has been set aside for these repairs. The mayor said that because the city owns the building, the depot will not be eligible for funds that it could receive if a nonprofit organization owned it. He said that community will be limited in what they can do with the building and he would like to see a nonprofit organization involved.
