[crs1026]

That's my thought. Gift the building (not the land) to the municipality on the condition that ONR can use it as a train station for a nominal cost and let the municipality pay to maintain it.

The best approach for saving old buildings is to find an alternate use that can make the ongoing upkeep and operating costs sustainable (or, in this case, possibly also continue its traditional use).

The question would be, what is the cost to ONR to potentially modify or renovate the building to make it operable on an ongoing basis. I'm going to speculate that plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are all at end of life and all need complete rebuild. Possibly lead or asbestos removal. Possibly roof beams are rotted. Possibly basement leaks. How long until the roof needs redoing? What is needed to ensure accessibility?

In a big city, with ongoing development, these costs might be easily swallowed in the scope of a commercial redevelopment - but one can see why a smaller town with a finite tax base would not leap into gear on this with taxpayer money.

Compare that to the cost of the new "bus shelter". And ongoing upkeep cost and utilities cost for same. Maybe retaining the station is affordable, but paid by whom? Perhaps the town boosters can form a committee of volunteers with the skills to perform the needed renovation themselves. There will still be costs for materials etc.

Ideally one would find a tenant to share with ONR and derive some rent. But again, in a small community - how's the commercial rental market?

- Paul