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The Coles County Courier

Text Box: News from the Depot 1 Dudley House News 2 Founder’s Day Dinner 2 Award Recipients President’s Message 3 Rennel’s Cabin Story 3 Depot Funds Needed 3 Garden Ramble ‘05 4 Gannaway House Report 4 CCHS Picture Album 5 Membership Renewal 5 Call for Volunteers Rennels Cabin and the 6 Sargent Brothers Article with pictures 1799 Newspaper in Atlas 7 *Depot Project Matching funds needed to use full federal grant funds Read Details on page Three

Text Box: DEPOT RESTORATION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDING This past summer Congress passed and the President signed the Federal Transportation Bill. Included in this bill were funds for the restoration of the ICRR Depot in Mattoon. In total the Depot project was awarded a total of $2.57 M. Representative Tim Johnson, Senator Richard Durbin and Senator Barack Obama all worked on our behalf to secure funding for this project. Broad community support, support from Mattoon city officials as well as past financial support from several foundations and other sources was considered when the House of Representatives version of the bill was reconciled with the Senate version. The Depot project will be a multi-year project. The federal funding will be spread over a four year period, and is dependent on our providing a 20% match from local funds. In other words, we must provide $1 in local money for every $4 in federal funds received. The Depot Committee had already raised $167,000 in grants to repair the tile roof of the building, but those funds will not count toward the match.

Text Box: What is the timetable for the restoration of the depot and what will it look like when it is finished? The first priority will be to upgrade the electrical service and install an elevator. The committee hopes that by spring 2006 the environmental issues will have been addressed, the architectural drawings completed and bids let. As to what Depot might look like when all this work is done. Don Hance has developed a virtual tour which you can view by logging onto projectdepot.org Don, by the way, is due a big thank you for all the work he has done on this project. If you would like to contribute to the Depot and help make this project happen, please log onto the website or make a phone call to 235-6744 or 345-2934 You could have a room or other area named for yourself or your family; you could make a memorial contribution for someone who cares about the depot and its railroad history. You could even be vicarious railroader, an engineer, fireman or a gandy dancer (ask us to explain that). Whatever level of participation you might decide on, the project now depends on local contributions, so please help us.

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