Candidates for mayor respond to Iron Horse Depot plans

Oct. 26—Reactions to the City of Logansport's current plan for an Urban Park across the street from the Little Turtle Waterway, which includes renovations to the Iron Horse Depot Museum to add public restrooms.

While some thought the plans to preserve the museum space were clear, others still worry about a beloved museum trading its history for bathrooms. A local petition started by city residents has gathered hundreds of signatures and is to be presented to city council at a later date.

Logansport deputy mayor Jacob Pomasl told the Pharos-Tribune that restrooms are planned to be added to the wings of the Depot, along with lawn spaces being added around the structure and general restoration of the building. This project would utilize funds from a $1 million READI grant, Pomasl said.

With plans for the Urban Park generating such a strong reaction from the public, the Pharos-Tribune spoke with Mayor Chris Martin and mayor candidates Dave Kitchell and Lonnie Keefer about the museum and the current plans.

The municipal election is Nov. 7, with early voting in the city beginning Saturday.

Mayor Chris Martin

Republican candidate and current mayor Chris Martin's administration created the current plan for the Urban Park and he thinks the plans are great. Martin said Logan's Landing director George Franklin came to the administration asking if they could help assist them in restoring the museum. However, Martin said this would have cost $200,000 to $300,000 to keep the museum up and in good condition.

"And so, we had talked and we had decided that we were going to utilize... part of the $1 million grant that we received for READI to put towards the restoration of the Depot so that we could save the Depot and at the same time be able to have better access for public restrooms as well as a more permanent opening of a museum," Martin said.

Martin said he has been in the museum for meetings with Logan's Landing or the Cass County Arts Alliance when he was a part of that organization. He said he also saw the museum when he was a kid, as Logansport used to have a train which would stop near the depot. According to Martin, the building currently is not really a museum due to a lack of access that one would normally see from a museum. Franklin said the museum has had six visitors since April of this year, according to Martin.

"... and so, by doing what we're doing with the restoration of the depot, it allows for it to be a more permanent museum that will be open longer and for more days," Martin said.

In regards to the feedback the depot has seen, Martin said criticism is going to happen. However, he said it would be beneficial for everyone to always get the facts before assuming.

"I just want the community to understand and be aware that when things are put out on social media, the best thing to do before you comment, before you assume, is to reach out to us so that we can get you the facts and the correct information before you start sharing wrong information," Martin said.

Dave Kitchell

Democrat candidate Dave Kitchell said there is a need for restrooms in that area, but he said the area needs restrooms that are closer to the trails and a little more spread out. Kitchell also said he does not think the Depot needs more items placed around it.

"... the restrooms situation, I understand it needs to be remedied, but we had that remedied with the Welcome Center that was down there, which [Martin] tore down. And unfortunately, he didn't have his replacement ready for that. His replacement plan was to put box cars there, and then he realized the ADA accessibility issues would be incredibly costly to do that, and so that never happened. And then he had to lease restrooms to put down there for the festivals and Taste of Cass County, etc.," said Kitchell, who served as mayor of Logansport from 2016-19. "So, we need to do something that's more of a long-term plan that's more than just that building. We need to separate the issues and not combine them. I think they're well intended with their plan, but it assumes that we should put every restroom right in the center of everything, I don't think that's good planning. I think you need to stretch it out."

Kitchell said he has memories of the depot, as his grandfather was a railroader in town and he also wrote an article for the Pharos-Tribune when the depot was moved. While he said the building has never been a depot and was actually a yard office, he said it does have a lot of valuable significance as a historic structure. If Kitchell becomes mayor, he said he plans to use some of the READI grant money for restoration of the Depot. He said they are fortunate in that the ADA issues are not as bad as they are with some buildings, but he said any building this old needs to go through a transformative process as some point so it is permanently viable.

"But, you know, really, we don't know if the pipes break, if they freeze, if there's a flooding problem, is that going to damage the historic structure? And it could. But what they need to do is consult with somebody that actually knows what to do with historic buildings like this because this building was 120 years old when we got it in 1981. It's almost 150 years old now," Kitchell said. "So, we've got to do something that's going to make sure that this is permanent long after a coat of paint is applied to it. We need to make sure that structurally, there's no issues with that..."

In addition, Kitchell said if he becomes mayor, he would try to get students and student volunteer organizations involved with the depot, such as through fundraisers. He said the space and building can be a little limited in what it can do, and he thinks they can do more with the READI grant to make the town more viable from a tourism perspective.

Kitchell said he would like to see the Depot be used more for an office for the Visitors Bureau, to serve as a starting point for visitors stopping in Logansport. This visitors' center could house information on events happening in and around Logansport, and could also serve as the terminus and trailhead of all the trails in Cass County, he said.

"And I also think it can be a place where we have a more active museum situation, where you can see more of a live museum situation going on that tells the story of Logansport's history," Kitchell said.

Lonnie Keefer

Independent candidate Lonnie Keefer said while he has not been back to the depot since the Iron Horse Festival, he said this does not mean it is not historical and there are other people in the town that the Depot means a lot to. He said they are not sure if the Depot can house restrooms due to it being an old structure.

"... okay, let's say they go in there and they put the bathrooms in and next thing you know, the floors are going out. That's going to ruin structure for the Depot. It will honestly kill part of the historical part of it," Keefer said. "I mean... those floors are so old because it was made back in the 1800s and then... when it was moved here, they didn't fix any of the structure. They just moved it, planted it and kept it. So, when you turn it into bathrooms, the structure itself may collapse. If it collapses, there goes the historical value of the building."

If he becomes mayor, Keefer said his plans for the Depot would be to restore it, to make it a centerpiece of history and build around it. In addition, Keefer said if he becomes mayor, he would also bring back the Iron Horse Festival or a Heritage Festival to celebrate Logansport's roots. He said the area where the Salvation Army used to be could be transformed and utilized.

"... I['ve] seen in Noblesville... where they brought in a building that made it look like the Depot and I mean, okay, now it didn't have history, but it looks like history," Keefer said. "So, we could turn a bathroom over there in that section where the old Salvation Army is. It would be a lot cheaper to build that than it would be to put ADA bathrooms in there, into the Depot."

Keefer said he would use money from the READI grant to fix the building up. The remaining funds, he said, would then be used to place restrooms there, so the grant would be used for the area like it was planned, but would not have to take money out of taxpayers' dollars.

"... we do need [a restroom] down there for our festivals and other events and the Farmer's Market needs one," Keefer said. "So, that would extend over to the Farmer's Market and have a restroom for it. I mean, there used to be a bathroom there, now there's not."