Thank You Fostoria April 6 th 2014

 

Letter to the editor, published April 6, 2014, in The (Fostoria) Focus

 

Thank you, Fostoria, for the new Rail Park you offer visitors like me.

 

Last Friday and Saturday I was one of 11 men who traveled to your city for the express purpose of railroad photography. From Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia, we passed the hours those windy days taking pictures and marveling over the work that has gone into the project.

 

During a brief stay at a nearby road crossing, (we like a variety of settings) a very courteous Fostoria police office stopped to alert us to the park, a nice public relations touch. And we were impressed by the packet of information given us when we checked into our motel. We make similar trips yearly, and I don’t believe we have had such a pleasant welcome.

Your ambitious Fostoria Rail Preservation Society likely keeps the statistics, but I would guess your motels, restaurants, and gas stations notice the customers and dollars brought to town by this first rate tourist attraction. The splendid FRPS railfan guide notes efforts to bring the old T&OC depot to Rail Park for restoration, and that’s an excellent idea for the project’s finishing touch. Focus readers who haven’t yet visited the park ought to do so. They will surely see photographers there, day or night, fair weather or foul, and they will likely have a story similar to mine.

 

Yes, Fostoria, we’ll be back and we’ll be telling our friends about our great visit.

 

Walt Dunlap,

St Paul, Minn

 

Rail Park opens Nov. 15

 

Ready to open: The Fostoria Rail Park, located off South Poplar Street, will officially open at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. The City of Fostoria, Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau and the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication 3-3:30 p.m., followed by a reception at the BANKquet Hall on the corner of Main and Tiffin streets. Parking will be available at the Davis & Newcomer Building, 420 Columbus Ave. Photo by Alex Boroff

 

By Alex Boroff
Focus Reporter

 

“They took a junkyard and made it into a nice park,” Dan Thornton said.

Thornton, Fostoria city engineer, refers to Fostoria Rail Park. Those who remember what the space between Columbus Avenue and South Poplar Street looked like years ago may remember old buildings and overgrown weeds. Now, the area holds a park that the city hopes will encourage more tourism to Fostoria.

Thornton is one of many looking forward to the opening of the Fostoria Rail Park, set to officially open at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15.

The City of Fostoria, Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau and the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication 3-3:30 p.m., followed by a reception at the BANKquet Hall on the corner of Main and Tiffin streets.

The park sits in the heart of the “Iron Triangle,” where two CSX lines and one Norfolk Southern line intersect to bring a significant amount train traffic each day through Fostoria.

Whitta Construction of Fostoria was awarded the bid for the project, and began work on the park in April 2013. The park features a viewing pavilion for train watchers, parking lot with access from South Poplar Street, lighting for nighttime photography, and a heated restroom.

For rail fans, the park is a much awaited feature of an area that is already a hotspot for train watching.

“We’ve had people since day one asking when the rail park is going to be done,” said Fostoria Mayor Eric Keckler. “I’ve had calls from people all over the country.”

Though total figures on the construction costs will not be finalized for several months, the rail park cost an estimated $1.1 million.

About 80 percent of the project was covered by an $815,760 grant awarded to the city by the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2007.

Preparation for the site included the demolition of a pork-packing plant in December 2010. A $300,000 USEPA grant helped the city clear the site.

The park was to be completed by the end of the year, Thornton said, noting that Whitta Construction kept on schedule in spite of some delays due to heavy summer rains.

Thornton also noted that the park and its facilities are high quality.

“All materials are top-notch,” he said. “Everything in there should last a very long time.”

The project had long been supported by the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society. FRPS secretary-treasurer Ellen Gatrell said she is anxious to see the park open, as are rail fans.

“They can’t wait,” she said.

Gatrell added that the site will help further promote the city as a great place to view trains. She credited the city government with making the project happen.

“We have a city government that realizes that rail fans and tourism is something that they should actually believe in,” she said.

Thornton noted that he often meets out-of-town train watchers during his visits to the site to check on the park’s progress.

“I met three guys from Cincinnati who came up just to see it,” he mentioned.
The five-acre site is large enough to support additional features to the park.

Gatrell said possibilities for the park include a gift shop or museum.

“I think the combination of the Rail Festival and Rail Park have potential to bring people to Fostoria,” Keckler added. “There is a lot of possibility with it.”

 

Used with permission http://www.fostoriafocus.com/