Support work

Check out all the drainage work. Thanks to Tom and John, City of Potlatch, who are assisting the depot contractors.

All things concrete

Today was a day for firming up some things.... like the loading dock and some drainage curb work beside the house track. A big thank you to Atlas for donating some of the concrete and transportation. Wow, that's a great gift for the depot!

Notes from The Prez

An email from Don Somers, detailing progress:

Note new window glass on second level windows. Down spouts now installed. The door with primer has just been restored. More trim painting completed. After today's project meeting, the expectation is to be completed on the exterior by the end of next week. Only door hardware, replacement of the access door to the second floor and interior window priming will remain, and may not be done for a while yet.

Next week will see the water line and storm drain system installed, the parking area will be sculpted and graveled, and concrete poured for the westside platform.

Don

Ready for More Concrete

Doug Wasankari and crew brought in the gravel and leveled it in preparation for pouring concrete to create the new loading dock. Doug and the guys do a great job. Meanwhile, painter Dan Tate is on the second story touching up the paint. All the windows are trimmed out in green on the west side now. On the east side, notice that the surrounding area is also being leveled. That's Doug on the machine.

Bring on the Paint

Temperatures were just about perfect today, so painters Sharma and John kept at the trim work. It is time consuming, but these two painters do a great job on the details. Now if we could have just another week of this nice 72-degree weather!

The roof is done!

The weather has turned blustery, so the painting has slowed to a complete stop. That's the bad news. But the good news is that the roof is all done. A big thank you to Larry Duff and all the Timberworks crew for the hard work and excellent job. Our old depot is looking downright handsome!

What a Difference a Day Makes

The painting has progressed from the top story being started yesterday, and it's about done today.

Look at that Roof!

The shake roof is just about done and it is classy. Meanwhile, for those of you worrying about the doors mistakenly being painted red, take a look! The weather unfortunately is not cooperating, so much of today's work had to come to a standstill by early afternoon.

A beautiful autumn day in Potlatch

Today is the perfect autumn day -- 80 degrees and fall colors to rival anything in New England! Levi Laird is painting the green trim, as Wyatt Strahm and the crew from Timberworks stay focused on nailing down shakes. Project foreman Dan Karel has been replacing some of the rotted shakes on the second story exterior in preparation for that first coat of paint, and the building is looking downright respectable. With continued good weather, painting can start on the upper section, maybe tomorrow. The crews we have on this project are a dedicated bunch and they're taking a lot of pride in this restoration. As part of today's activities, WIMHPG President Don Somers also got a ride in the lift so he could inspect things at close range.

Seeing Red in Potlatch!!!!!

Today the weather cooperated and painters Levi and Sharma put on the first coat of red paint. It is beautiful. Meanwhile, roofers from Timberworks continue nailing shakes down on the roof, and project foreman Dan tends to other restoration chores. Most people passing through Potlatch are doing a double take on the old depot these days!

Painters start adding color!

Today, October 6, the paint crew finished most of the green trim up under the eaves. It is a cold day and we'd better hope for better weather so the crew can start with the red paint next week.

Speeder Visit Kicks Off Depot Restoration in July

Restoration began as the 219-ton building was lifted

Work began in earnest in late summer as Doug Wasankari and his crew lifted the building in preparation for the new foundation. Workers were amazed at how sturdy the 100-year-old building actually was.

The building is getting a handsome new shake roof, thanks to Larry Duff and the Timberworks crew. The white primer coat made a lot of people around town think the depot was going to end up that color. Stay tuned!

Hi! My name is Libby and I live in Canada. However, I grew up in a small company town in Northern Idaho called Potlatch. Not a whole lot happens there these days, but one exciting happening is that the old WI&M (Washington, Idaho & Montana) Depot is being restored. This gem of a building has been sitting vacant for several years, losing paint and beginning to sag on both sides. Thanks to a bunch of railroad-obsessed retirees (including my dad), the building is getting a new foundation, new paint job, and new roof. I'm just sad I can't be there to see it! So I've set up this blog to force my dad to keep updates and post photos of the progress. Good luck, Dad! Call me if you have any questions!