Release of federal funds means Union Station nears completion

NORTH CANAAN — Is there finally light at the end of the tunnel for the project to rebuild Canaan Union Station?With plans for the final phase in hand and ready to be put out to bid, the owners were recently given an approval date of 2013 for the release of federal funding set aside for the project. They found that date to be unacceptable.State and federal legislators were contacted. A meeting in Hartford last week brought a promise to whittle that timeframe down to April 2012. That makes it highly probable that — about a year after that — businesses, jobs and tourist attractions will open in the town center.The “depot,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is considered a continuously operating railroad station since it was built in 1872. A fire there burned nearly half of it down on Oct. 13, 2001.It was privately owned at the time by Paul Ramunni, who invested private donations and his own funds in cleanup and stabilizing the wing and most of the three-story signal tower. But even as a landmark, its ownership status prevented any sort of state or federal grant funding. But then-Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-5) secured a $1.3 million earmark in the federal highway bill.The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association (CRHA), comprised mainly of enthusiasts from North Canaan and Salisbury, bought the property in early 2003. That made it possible for the now-nonprofit to get grants.Persistent rumors that the project had stalled plagued it for a decade. But it is now very close to a being re-established as more than just a picturesque relic. Much of the work was not obvious to casual observers. For example, one might now see work that was done to establish a new foundation under the former and future restaurant, relocating a power transformer, installing new plumbing and wiring and the replication and replacment of the unusual window casings and overhang support brackets.The ticket window was rescued by firefighters. Although a bit charred, it was reinstalled in the tower and will be part of a museum displaying CRHA’s large collection of railroad artifacts.Existing and potential business operators are lining up to lease space for a restaurant and other retail and service establishments. Interested parties include banks, a barber, real estate agents and accountants.Local supporters continue to come to fundraisers for the depot. That combined with many modest contributions, small grants and donations of materials and services have brought the rebuilding to the point it is at now.The project has reached the tipping point of needing a final, large influx of funding, according to Mike Haupt, a Salisbury resident and the newest member of the CRHA board of directors. The imminent release of federal dollars is just what is needed to spark investors and major contributors who have been waiting in the wings.Haupt called the results of the Sept. 14 meeting in Hartford, at the Legislative Office Building, “amazing.”“There were people from the federal and state agencies that are involved, as well as Senator Andrew Roraback, Representative Roberta Willis and Congressman Chris Murphy. It was not confrontational at all. We talked about how all the studies have been done, and that jobs and commerce are the bottom line here. This is what stimulus is all about. “Everyone agreed getting the depot back is what we need to get the economy moving here.”With his new perspective on the board, Haupt said it was immediately apparent to him that momentum is needed to see the project through. Delays caused by government red tape and the resulting rumors that the project would not be finished had undermined confidence.“To reduce the approval time from two years to six months to start the construction bidding process has re-energized all our committees and our town residents. “The Canaan Union Station is the key to commerce and jobs for us all, now and in the future,” Haupt wrote in a letter he originally intended to submit to The Lakeville Journal. “Our efforts that day will return to the state increased revenues for us to share and be proud.”