GREENWAY TRAIL Depot, parking lot projects to start in spring

A train station will be renovated with recycled bricks.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Two projects that mix historical preservation, recreation and recycling will begin in the spring.
The projects include the renovation of the Pittsburgh, Marian and Chicago Railroad depot in Lisbon at the southern end of part of the Greenway Trail, and the addition of a parking lot at the trail's midpoint near Eagleton Road in Salem Township near the Teegarden Covered Bridge in Salem Township.
Gov. Bob Taft announced last week the Ohio Department of Transportation would fund 80 percent of both projects.
Robert Durbin, the chief deputy engineer in the Columbiana County Engineer's office, who's been pressing for the projects, said that's good news.
That means the county will get $578,961 for the station and $110,490 for the parking area, Durbin said.
The county will have to come up with 20 percent of the total $773,000 depot renovation. Dawson has talked to a variety of civic groups and believes the money can be raised, Durbin said.
The depot is in poor shape and will have to be redone, Durbin added. It dates to the late 1800s.
The building and roof need repairs. The bricks that will be used in the renovation are matching ones from the chimney at the defunct power plant at the old county home.
Variety of events
Durbin said the building will be used for a variety of events, including visits by area legislators, who often have office hours on a regular basis throughout their districts.
A wooden portion had been added to the depot and was later torn off. That will be rebuilt in the form of a pavilion with picnic tables and restrooms.
The depot also will have parking. It's about four blocks away from the start of the trail, where there are nine parking spaces and a portable toilet.
The county engineer's office will use salvaged building stones and labor as the local share of the $168,112 parking project.
The parking lot at the covered bridge will have room for both cars and buses. The salvaged building stones will be used to build a wall around three sides of the lot.
wilkinson@vindy.com