Vision on track

STAPLES - A movement is under way in Staples to restore and preserve the historic Burlington Northern train depot as a community asset.

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Judy Van Hillyer and Frank Cicha, a husband and wife team from Rochester, N.Y., on Monday gave a vision of what they'd like to see the depot become at a meeting hosted by the Staples Downtown Revitalization Board and attended by more than 30 interested community members.

"They have a passion for the depot," said Tim Rice, Lakewood Health System administrator and Staples Downtown Restoration Board chairman. "We know a lot of these issues are deeply personal for a lot of people. Our goal is to look beyond that and find a common objective."

Van Hillyer, a Staples native, and Cicha, a Chicago native with a lifelong interest in trains, plan to retire in Staples. In recent visits to the city, they have seen great potential in the train depot located on First Avenue. What they've dubbed the "Staples Station" would be a focal point of the city's restoration efforts.

A BNSF Railway coal train headed past the Staples depot Monday. A couple has proposed a plan to restore the historic depot. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.

"The mission we see with this depot is it will be a living, operating depot, that it serves the community of Staples," Van Hillyer said. "We want to have it be the kind of attraction that people will want to come to and visit."

Along with maintaining Amtrak services, Van Hillyer and Cicha envision the depot being home to the Staples Historical Society, the Staples-Motley Chamber of Commerce, a coffee shop, a museum, railroad clubs, an antique store and other offices. They also said the depot could be an educational experience, with a camp designed to teach kids about living the railroad life.

The idea, Van Hillyer, is to make the Staples train depot a destination.

"We want to try and turn this into a national place where every train buff wants to come and see the depot," she said.

Cicha and Van Hillyer have met with several local groups to discuss their ideas, and community members have been impressed.

"They got a lot of heart and they're a breath of fresh air," said Staples Historical Society board member Doug Fahnlander, whose group has been working with Van Hillyer and Cicha to make their vision a reality.

"I think their project is beautiful and I hope the community gets behind it 100 percent," Staples resident Jim Mohler said.

A couple plans to restore the Staples depot building to possibly house an antique store and coffee shop. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.

The Staples Historical Society has made an offer to BNSF Railway to buy the depot building for $1 and the land it sits on for an undisclosed sum. Once the society owns the building, an operating board would be appointed. Van Hillyer and Cicha asked that they then be hired to be non-salaried managers of the depot.

It is estimated that another $1.4 million-$1.6 million would be needed to restore the building. To pay for it all, Van Hillyer said she and her husband, along with the entire community, would need to pursue grants, endowments, donations and gifts.

There is no timeline for Cicha's and Van Hillyer's proposal. The first obstacle is determining assessments to the railroad property because of the Highway 10 relocation project. Next would be acquiring the property and the depot and forming an operating board. After restoring the building, the next step would be deciding what would be located at the depot.

"The citizens of this community have to know this building will be self-sufficient," Fahnlander said.

Though the full realization will take years, Van Hillyer hopes that, by next fall the depot will be able to host open houses, receptions and holiday events.

"If we work together, I believe we can start to have things happen in the depot," she said.

MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.