Multi-use facility at Big Four depot a step closer to reality

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GALION — A pavilion at the railroad depot on the city’s east side is one step closer to becoming a reality after a groundbreaking ceremony last Saturday.

City officials, along with members of the Galion Depot, Inc., held the ceremony that about 40 people attended at the Galion Big Four Depot, 127 N. Washington St.

“This one is for you, dad,” said board member Marty Cecil as she dug her shovel into the ground.

Her father once worked for the railroad and his office faced the green space that will become the area in which the multi-use pavilion is constructed on the northwest corner of the property.

“When we moved to Galion in 1954, his office was there, overlooking this area,” Cecil said.

Mayor Tom O’Leary said a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission was going to have to be given back to the state if there were no plans in the works for the funding. In addition to the grant, up to $30,000 of local funds will be used to construct the pavilion.

“The grant could not be used for renovation of the existing depot. It had to be used for a whole project,” O’Leary said.

The board that oversees the Depot made the decision to construct a rectangular, 1,205-square-foot pavilion to be used for a variety of events.

“The doors on each side of the pavilion will open up and it will be heated so it can be used all year long,” O’Leary said. The structure will also feature a fireplace and the architecture will be similar to the existing depot in a Queen Anne design.

The pavilion is scheduled to open in May of 2017. It represents the first step in a multi-phase project to restore the depot.

“We will use the funds from the rent of the pavilion to restore the existing depot,” said Cecil.

O’Leary said he hopes to use the Depot as a transit for the new SCAT (Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation) as well as office and photographer space.

For more information, write to the organization at PO Box 215, Galion, or send an email to [email protected].

During a busy December weekend, city officials and members of a group trying to find a better use for the Big Four Railroad Depot on North Washington Street, had a ground-breaking ceremony for a new multi-use pavilion that will be built on the property. (Photo by Sarah Capretta)
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2016/12/web1_Depot-3-1.jpgDuring a busy December weekend, city officials and members of a group trying to find a better use for the Big Four Railroad Depot on North Washington Street, had a ground-breaking ceremony for a new multi-use pavilion that will be built on the property. (Photo by Sarah Capretta)

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2016/12/web1_Depot-1-Copy-1.jpg

By Kimberly Gasuras

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Reach Gasuras on Twitter: @kimberlygasuras

 

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