Will depot rebuild have impact on historic diner?

NORTH CANAAN — A central (and often emotional topic) at the Dec. 12 informational meeting on the rebuild of Canaan Union Station was the impact it will have on a nearby business.The depot is a national landmark, a tourist attraction and, for North Canaan residents, an iconic structure. Half of the building was destroyed by a fire in October 2001. When it emerges from the ashes after the rebuild, it will have a museum and a retail center. The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) is now the owner of the depot. Its members have been working on the project since it purchased it from a private owner in 2003.On Dec. 12, the Town Hall meeting room was packed tight with concerned citizens. It was also attended by engineers, architects and state Department of Transportation (DOT) representatives.Project designers and state officials were there to do what is usually a routine, informal presentation as part of a checklist for administering state and federal funding. The last phase, including finishing work inside and out and adding drainage and landscaping around the depot and parking lot, is estimated to cost $2,358,000. There remains a $1.3 million appropriation in the federal highway bill to be tapped.It may have been the first time this group had seen a crowd so entirely and passionately in favor of a project. They also appeared taken aback by the numerous comments and questions.Ameen-Storm Abo-Hamzy, whose family owns Collins Diner (which shares the station plaza with the depot), came to the meeting with deed in hand — and with serious concerns about how work will affect his business both during construction and in the long term. There was considerable discussion, during and after the meeting, on that and various easements, particularly those for the railroad and power companies.Plans displayed on easels around the room showed plantings swapped for a couple of parking spaces in front of the diner, which is already nicely landscaped. Members of the public tried to make sense of the approach. Of greater concern was a proposal by the engineers to block off the road that runs behind the diner. A wall was to be built at the bottom of the hill. Abo-Hamzy explained that large delivery trucks use the road to access the rear of the diner. There is no room to turn a large vehicle around. There was no compelling reason given for blocking the road, except to create a few new parking spaces as a trade-off for the plantings. An engineer said the state is concerned about the lack of line-of-sight where that road intersects with Route 44. But with the new plan keeping them from pulling all the way around the diner, truck drivers would be compelled to back out into traffic, or block off Route 44 while backing into the road.Selectman Charlie Perotti, who is the liaison between the town and CRHA, told The Lake­ville Journal that CRHA board members decided that night (Dec. 12) not to opt for those changes. He also said the state is worried about land use and deed issues that were raised, and wants to see either a letter from Abo-Hamzy or an agreement between him and CRHA.Abo-Hamzy said no one is more supportive of reopening the depot than he, but he needs some assurances to protect the business his parents took over 41 years ago. “The diner is a national landmark itself. We need to be looking out for that as well,” Abo-Hamzy said.He said later in the week he was feeling more confident he was being heard, and was pleased the proposed changes, such as the road closure, were not going to happen. He said he needed an agreement that would protect and compensate him in case his business is interrupted.Landscaping concernsThis is far from the end of the process. There are required comment periods on plans, which will go back and forth between the state and CRHA before they are finalized. But it will move quickly between now and next June, when the project is expected to go out to bid, according to Tom Burgess, of the state Department of Transportation. That puts completion at late next summer or early fall.An “ellipse” at the front of the plaza was planned for removal at one point, according to First Selectman Douglas Humes.“They were going to move the new clock tower over by the depot and take the whole thing out to reconfigure the entrances,” Humes told The Journal. “I told them there was no way they were getting rid of it.”The ellipse has a bus stop shelter, which will go. (People will be allowed to wait in the depot instead.) An old ticket office will be moved. The information kiosk and restored steam engine displayed there were not publicly discussed. A memorial to railroad historian Earl Smedick will remain, along with the clock tower and paver sidewalk recently installed as part of the streetscape project. The concrete wall will be replaced with granite.Work on the depot exterior is proposed to include moving the antique caboose displayed there from the north-facing end to the east end, adjacent to where it is hoped a restaurant will be once again. A brick plaza will make for a more dramatic main entrance at the inside apex of the two wings, with decorative fencing funneling people to the plaza. Engraved paving stones sold as a fundraiser will be used in walkways leading to the plaza. The concrete loading platform, which runs for more than 500 feet along the tracks will be entirely replaced. A honey locust will be planted at the east end of the depot to mirror the one on the north end.Tom Zetterstrom, speaking on behalf of the town’s Beautification Committee praised that part of the plan, as well as other landscape approaches. He asked for careful protection during construction of the existing locust tree, calling it the healthiest tree in the town center.Inside, the octagonal tower will house a museum and CRHA offices. Retail spaces will be “white box,” minimally finished, with final work done at the expense of tenants to meet their needs.CRHA has been fielding calls from potential tenants, but no leases have been signed yet.Project Engineer Bob Gallo explained the drainage work that will address flooding issues in the parking lot. The plan is to tie in to drainage for the Main Street railroad crossing. There were concerns raised about that project not having been started yet, even though it’s been on the drawing board for more than a decade. Burgess said it is moving forward now.Property issues at the rear of the depot, a vital area for parking and delivery vehicles, were brought to the attention of The Lakeville Journal prior to the meeting. A landlocked parcel owned there by CRHA board member Bob Gandolfo is believed to infringe on the needed space. Perotti said they anticipate an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use its 50-foot right-of-way along the former east/west rail bed. Although the track has been removed, the rail easement remains in place.