Fifteen Cities Receive Grants to Revitalize Local Rail Stations and Economies

Great American Station Foundation

Las Vegas, NM -- Fifteen cities are being honored for their efforts to preserve, restore and improve local rail stations. Honorees were selected to receive $250,000 in grant money from the Great American Station Foundation, a non-profit corporation that promotes economic development through the preservation of railroad stations. The winners were selected from 52 applications submitted by communities in 24 states. Individual grant amounts ranged from $2,500-$30,000.

"These grants provide money to support local efforts to revitalize these important public spaces and trigger additional economic development," said Hank Dittmar, president of the Great American Station Foundation. "We're pleased at the level of interest in station revitalization around the country, and particularly pleased at the way that this round of grants combines economic revitalization with the provision of convenient transportation choices."

The grants were given to communities of varying size and geographic location. To promote development beyond the doors of the stations, grantees include those stations with the potential to provide a variety of travel options including Amtrak, commuter rail, intercity bus, and local transit as well as supporting vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian activity. The 2001 honorees include Kingman, AZ; Fresno, CA; Grand Junction, CO; Hollywood, FL; 79th Street in Miami, FL; Centralia, IL; Matoon, IL; Normal, IL; Lawrence, KS; Louisville, KY; Natchitoches, LA; Edgewood, MD; Deming, NM; Wharton, TX; and Brookfield, WI.

"Station revitalization can provide the spark that brings downtown back to life," said John Robert Smith, chairman of the Station Foundation's Board of Directors and Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, which revitalized its Amtrak station a few years ago. "Our station project in Meridian has not only prompted a boom in Amtrak ridership, it has sparked over $18 million in new investment in our downtown."

The Great American Station Foundation was founded in 1996 with seed money from Amtrak, which continues to support the Foundation. Substantial other funding sources include Greyhound Lines, several private foundations, and the Foundation's membership base.