Nostalgia & History > Ye Olde Originale Windsore Lockse Traine Statione

From the Hartford (Conn.) Courant
Group To Offer $45,000 For Train Station
Town Preservation Association Wants To Restore Historic Site
April 11, 2006
By MONICA POLANCO, Courant Staff Writer

WINDSOR LOCKS -- The Windsor Locks Preservation Association plans to offer $45,000 to buy the old train station on Main Street, the group's president said Monday.
The association, created in 2004, has been working to preserve the boarded-up historic train station, which belongs to Amtrak. The station was built in 1875 and runs along Route 159. It has fallen victim to squatters and vandals in the past and now is vacant.
Hartford-based Amadon and Associates recently appraised the less-than-1-acre property, which includes the train station, at $45,000, according to a report released Monday. The preservation group can now use the figure to negotiate with Amtrak.
"To be sitting at this point ... is really phenomenal and absolutely amazing to me," said Barbara Schley, president of the Windsor Locks Preservation Association. "A lot of people thought that this was never a possibility. I think that this is going to be a reality."
If restored, the building must have a low-impact use, Schley said. The association may use the restored station for office space if no one else is interested.
The group is waiting to find out whether the state Office of Policy and Management will approve a $225,000 grant to help fund the project, which has a total estimated cost of about $750,000. The association hopes that the town, which also owns a portion of the property, will donate the land to the group.
The association needs a lawyer before it can begin negotiating with Amtrak, Schley said. The group hopes to find a lawyer who will handle the negotiations for free.
In other association news Monday, Schley announced her group's plan to award a grant of up to $1,000 for landscaping that would encourage preservation of an older home. The group is still working on the details, but the money is expected to be awarded this year.
To be eligible, the home must have been built before 1900 and must be occupied by the owner, Schley said. The landscaping must be visible from the front of the home or from the front and side if the home is on a corner lot.
"It's a great way to give back to the town and to do something preservation-oriented," she said.