With Amtrak service on the way, one Vermont select board is now considering what to do with its historic train depot building, which, where it currently sits, is 14 feet too close to the tracks.
If you've driven through New Haven, right near the intersection of Route 7 and Vermont Route 17, you've no doubt seen it: the brick train depot just at the side of the railroad.
Built around 1850 and now housing offices, the single-story building is an example of the earliest days of rail depots from the second half of the 19th century. The railroad and train depot was used to transport lumber to and from the Burlington area, and marble to and from quarries in and around Rutland. It's also thought to have carried soldiers during the Civil War.
Currently, its upkeep is now tended to by the current lessee through the Vermont Historic Preservation Society. But as Amtrak prepares to restore service, both Amtrak and state transportation officials say the building is too close to the tracks, where trains won't stop but fly by at 59.5 miles per hour.
The New Haven Select Board needs to come up with a solution by June with a plan to move the building by year's end, and has tackled this issue at its past two meetings. Chair Steve Dupoise says the town can move the depot building across the tracks the required 14 feet, or or can find another location.
"We certainly want to see it preserved," Dupoise said. "That is goal number one."
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