Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager
Date:	May 20, 2008
RE:	BNSF Depot

Over the past few months, I have had several conversations with citizens regarding the BNSF Depot located on E. 7^th Street. There are a few citizens who have contacted the City concerned with the level of deterioration of the depot and its lack of meeting ADA compliance. Also, I have been contacted by citizens who have an interest in the historic aspects of the structure and would like to see the structure restored.

In November 2007, I contacted the BNSF regarding the concerns about deterioration. The BNSF was responsive to this and has met with possible contractors to complete repairs, such as painting, fixing a broken automatic door, etc. To date, it appears that some of these repairs have been completed, though more are likely needed. During the initial discussions with BNSF officials, I was told that the BNSF had an interest in maintaining the facility because they had active duty crews utilizing a portion of the building.

The depot structure is not currently on the historic register, nor is it part of the environs of any historic district. It is owned by the BNSF, who has an agreement with Amtrak, for utilization of the facility. The City has no ability to influence what is done with the facility, or how things are done, beyond the City’s ability to enforce property maintenance codes. Placement on the historic register requires the property owner’s consent and previously the BNSF has not been in favor of such registration. If the property were a historic property, the owner would need to be sensitive in completing any repairs to the facility. The City code does have a provision that would enable the City to place the facility on the local register of historic places without the property owner’s consent. However, this provision has never been utilized.

During a recent meeting with Carey Maynard-Moody, Dennis Domer, and Lynne Braddock-Zollner, I was asked to contact BNSF to see if there intention was to retain ownership of the depot facility and if they were open to other ownership considerations.

In early April, I was successful in contacting John Williams, General Manager for the Kansas Division of the BNSF. During our conversation, Mr. Williams indicated that BNSF would be open to different ownership possibilities and they would only need to retain some office space in the building for their purposes. Mr. Williams also stated that Amtrak is responsible for security of the building related to the arrival of the passenger train. Additionally, Carey Maynard-Moody has recently reported on conversations that she has had with Rich Wessler, Director of Passenger Train Operations for the BNSF. Mr. Wessler is interested in knowing if the City would be willing to receive the depot as a donation, provided they would have some ability to retain some space for BNSF’s purposes.

At this point, there is an opportunity for interested citizens and/or the City to work with BNSF, if there is a desire to do so, regarding the status of the facility. There are grant opportunities for the restoration of the facility that may be leveraged. Additionally, other communities have established programs that utilize local volunteers to assist with meeting arriving trains. If the Northern Flyer Alliance efforts are successful, the number of passengers traveling through the Lawrence location will increase and the interest in improving the facility will also likely be greater.

City staff anticipates compiling a report for the City Commission in order to receive Commission direction regarding this matter. Timing for the report would be anticipated over the next few weeks. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this matter.