Saturday's Demolition Day

Project Manager Jim West gives safety talk

The US Bank team:  Michelle French, Phil Omlor, Caryn Brown,

Shannley Moon, Tori Van Allen, Kenny Cada (front)

Caryn Brown wields a mean shovel

Phil Omlor and Jack Coyner lug lathe to the chute

Kenny Cada works the bucket brigade

Jesse Glassman does dumpster duty

US Bank employees Tori Van Allen and Phil Omlor 

came from Post Falls for the work party

Stirring up the dust--good reason for the masks!

Shovel Ready Project?

The Latah County Historic Preservation Commission met at the depot this morning, and the "before" part of the before-and-after tour shows that we definitely have a shovel-ready project for Saturday!  And this is one of the tidier scenes.  Lathe and plaster everywhere, and that's only from the ceiling demolition.  One can only wonder where all the waste materials will go once we get busy on Saturday!

Work Party Saturday

Thanks to our venerable president Kenny Cada, US Bank is supplying some much needed muscle to do demolition work upstairs in the depot this Saturday.  Jim and his little band of elves must've been at work last weekend, because the ceilings are already down and the floors are piled high with lathe and plaster.  This week, work resumes with the US Bank volunteers and others taking on the lathe and plaster walls.  The work party begins at 9 am, lunch will be served, and there will also be a chance to do some outside gardening chores.  The HPG will supply hard hats, safety glasses and respirators, and volunteers should bring leather gloves and wear thick-soled boots.  The work teams will rotate with frequent breaks, so plan to have some fun along with the labor!

On a related note, Larry Comer and Del Hatch were in town yesterday as part of kicking off a study of possibilities for the old mill site.  The depot is a key part of that land and its future, so Larry and Del took copious notes to learn more about the WIM HPG, the depot and our plans.   It was a very productive tour, with a fair amount of dreaming involved.  Pie in the sky?  Not really when you think of how much has been accomplished since the mill closed 30 years ago this year! 

Deary's Desk Comes to the Depot

Dan Crandall brought the William Deary desk to the depot last Saturday.  Dan is the Director of the Latah County Historical Society and a real fan of the depot project.  For some time he has hoped to bring the desk back to town and he picked a day of pouring rain and cold to get the job done.  Accompanied by his wife Marilyn, sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Ward Pletcher of Ferndale WA, son Aaron and grandson Perry, Dan toured his family through the depot and even enjoyed a look at the caboose. Marilyn was especially interested in being part of the demolition day scheduled for April 30.  That's when the US Bank employees will volunteer some hours of community service, thanks to HPG President Kenny Cada, manager of the Potlatch branch of US Bank.

Dan isn't exactly sure how the desk came to the LCHS headquarters and he didn't know whether the desk had been at the depot or maybe at an office in Moscow, but he knew it was Deary's desk.  It is possible that the desk actually was in the depot back in the days of Deary's tenure.  Dan assures us he will be looking into the background of the desk when he gets time and further information.

Dan Crandall and his family toured the caboose as part of delivering the William Deary desk to the depot last weekend. 

Meanwhile Paul "Poke" Montgomery called last week to say the lumber for the caboose is ready and will be brought to the annex when the weather clears up.  Poke and his wife Jeanette are donating the lumber for the caboose, a very generous gift for the X5 and the HPG!

Annual Meeting Sets New Goals

Saturday March 19, 2011, brought the WIM HPG board together for its annual meeting and the group saw some changes.  For starters, charter board members Tom Burg and Jack Coyner got off the board, along with Brian Magelky, and two new members, Webb French and Paul Kimmell, were added.  During the election of officers, Kendria "Kenny" Cada took over the helm as President, Jack stepped in as Veep, Barb Coyner stayed on as Secretary, and Don Somers retained the challenging duties as Treasurer.  Jim West will serve as Chairman of the Board.  Other board members are Tom Hillebrant and Carl Sonner.

The group reviewed its significant progress at developing the north end of the depot, and discussed upcoming demolition efforts as volunteers from US Bank work on the second floor on April 30.  Board member also want to make the depot more open to the public and many hope to see the Potlatch Historical Society keep some regular hours during the summer.  Don and Jack might hold some train group meetings in the future in keeping with the Palouse Empire Rail Society's past mission.  And the X5 caboose also received its share of attention as it was announced that Poke and Jeanette Montgomery will donate lumber to repair the caboose's deteriorating siding.  The Potlatch Recreation District has chipped in with a generous donation to help restore the caboose, as well.  It is this type of local support that has the HPG moving ahead.

In addition to the meeting, several HPG members went "sidetracking" to check out the trains around Plummer Junction.  The above photo is compliments of Tom Hillebrant, the able editor of the White Pine Quarterly.  Look for more of his photos in the next WPQ.

Storm Windows Tested During Cold Spell

It's been nearly a month since Moscow Glass and Awning installed the new storm windows on the north end of the first floor.  Thanks to a grant from Idaho Heritage Trust, we are one step closer to making the waiting room, ticket office, kitchen area and hallway warmer.  The windows went up January 7 and they are really attractive, adding a protective covering the original wavy glass.  The acid test came last week during the WIM HPG officers' meeting, when Jack Coyner, Brian Magelky, Don Somers and Barb Coyner held court in the waiting room, with outside temperatures hovering around 25 degrees.  The interior temperature stayed right around 66, not exactly cozy, but improving.  If we can upgrade the heating system (thank you Jim West for working on that grant application to Avista!), and add some insulation in the floor, our building will be even more inviting.  Thanks Jack Coyner for writing the successful Idaho Heritage Trust grant and thank you Idaho Heritage Trust for being a valued partner in this restoration project.

New Year, New Challenges



It has been a month since the Blackbird Station vacated the depot, discouraging both the tenants and the HPG about business potential at the site.  Tenants Julie Kerr and Karen Rohn, owners of Blackbird Station, pointed to the lousy economy as reasons to pull the plug after barely six months in operation. 

Yet there is still reason to look ahead to good possibilities for the restored depot, and HPG members are exploring a range of options.  One angle is the continuing discussions on new uses for the old millsite.  Potlatch Corporation shut down the mill 30 years ago this year, and officially wrote the obituary on the sawmill in 1983, dismantling the entire operation.  Yet the huge lumber company is actually talking to a group about potential tenants on the property.  The old millsite is after all one of the largest commercial properties available in the county, and if it is developed, the depot is the prime location for a variety of business uses.  HPG President Jack Coyner is part of the monthly discussion group on the millsite, and Latah County Economic Development head Aimee Shipman is ready to roll on a feasibility study for the grounds.  HPG board member and local banker Kenny Cada has been directly involved in making the selection for the feasibility study contractors.  More information will be available soon. 

Since the depot is no longer hosting a business, the regularly-scheduled bus stop has been moved to Dad's Diner on Highway 95.