GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — The former Union Pacific depot in Green River could cost up to $20 million to restore for public use, with up to $3 million needed just for immediate stabilization and preservation efforts.
Cowboy State Daily reports that the imposing structure, built in 1910 and donated by UP to the city in 2013, received a preservation boost in 2018 when the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality funded the removal of asbestos and lead-based paint. But the more than 20,000-square-foot station still needs roof repairs, reinforcement of its brickwork, and drainage issues addressed. After that would come full restoration for a still-to-be-determined use — the most popular suggest is an event and conference space.
“The depot is a cornerstone of the community, and we all recognize it as an important building,” Ryan Rust, Green River’s government affairs and grants manager told the news site, “but due to the cost, size and various restrictions it’s been difficult to get a lot work accomplished.”
There are challenges to raising the money beyond the sizeable amount. While the city owns the building, UP still owns the land, which it has leased to the city. But that 30-year lease includes a termination clause of just 30 days, a barrier to attracting tenants, investors, or grants because of the lack of long-term certainty. However, the Union Pacific Foundation does support preservation projects, and city has discussed the possibility of renegotiating the lease to obtain more stability.
The city is currently working to form a committee to guide a station project, and is considering the possibility of creating a nonprofit organization for the project, which would provide access to funds not available to public entities.
That’s a sizeable depot. I hope they figure out how to repair it. We paused there on the California Zephyr one evening in March, 1976. It was apparently a crew change spot, but unfortunately a conductor had died in his hotel, so we were delayed there about an hour. The dining car served Rocky Mountain Trout Almondine; we had a picture window view of…Green River.
It was probably a mistake to take the building off of the UPs hands.Without ownership of the land or a long term lease I wouldn’t put a penny into the building. The Pittsburgh Model RR Club was given the PRR Shadyside station in Pittsburgh. After building a layout and maintaining the building the PRR sold the land to someone else. The UP could do the same thing for any number of reasons.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, right? So if UP gives a 30 day notice of termination of the land lease, it’s time to pick up your building and take it somewhere else. Unless…
Get a better deal from the railroad or walk away.
Maybe the obscenely profitable UP could kick in an hour’s worth of profits? Its a tax deduction!