Informal depot meeting turns emotional

NORTH CANAAN — An informal informational meeting on the final phase of the restoration of Canaan Union Station was advertised as being routine, a required part of the process of accessing federal and state funding.The meeting structure might have been informal but the tenor of the comments was anything but casual.A passionate, standing room only crowd gathered at Town Hall Monday night (Dec. 12). Engineers, architects and state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials attended as planned. An array of easels displayed plans to basically replicate what was there before the October 2001 fire that destroyed half of the landmark structure. In addition to a restaurant, retail and office spaces, there will be a railroad museum in the signal tower, and there will be significant exterior, landscape and drainage work, estimated to cost $2,358,000. The project is currently on track for completion by next fall.The property has been owned by the Connecticut Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) since 2003. The nonprofit has been able to receive grant funding toward the rebuilding that the former, private owner could not. CRHA members and directors attended this week’s meeting.There were impassioned exchanges at times as presenters were peppered with questions throughout the evening. What had probably been anticipated as a quick look at plans became much more complex. Many in the crowd of about 50 stayed after the 75-minute meeting to continue to ask questions and make comments.It was an unusual scenario. Not one person objected to the project. Every one of the many who spoke prefaced their words with support for reopening what was the center of life in downtown North Canaan since it was built in 1872. Their level of concern and involvement, though, made it an emotional discussion.There were concerns about property issues that appear to have not been explored in advance of planning, particularly as they relate to the Collins Diner, which has continued to operate nearby during the decade-long effort to rebuild the depot.“The diner is a national historic landmark itself,” said owner Ameen-Storm Abo-Hamzy. “She, the depot, and the diner kept company for many years. We are a mom-and-pop business surviving there on our own for the last 10 years. Now you propose this great project, but we also have to protect our business.”There is a list of concerns there, expressed also by Tony Nania, who is a local attorney as well as warden of the Canaan Fire District. Selectman Charlie Perotti, who is the liaison between the town and CRHA, moderated the meeting and eventually was compelled to ask Nania to refrain from commenting repeatedly on the property issues.The problem is also one of perception about the status of plans. Many members of the public, including Hamzy family members, said they should have been part of the process earlier.The state DOT, which administers funding (which is coming through the federal highway bill), has a prescribed method for dealing with projects. There is back and forth with the property owners during the early design phase. What was displayed Dec. 12 appeared to be a done deal, but it is far from that, insisted engineer Robert Gallo, of A1 engineering.More details on the meeting will appear in the Dec. 22 edition of The Lakeville Journal.

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