Time Is Running Out For Depot Roof

By Gordon HopkinsThe Jefferson County Historical Society (JCHS) needs $150,000 to pay for the desperately needed new roof for the historic Rock Island Railroad Depot Museum and time is running out.The two-story brick depot once housed the Western Division Headquarters of the Rock Island Railroad and is now a Rock Island Railroad museum. The Fairbury depot dispatched all Rock Island trains west of Des Moines before closing in 1980.The depot’s historical significance means, among other things, the tile used for the roof must be historically accurate, which has proven to be a major stumbling block as the price tag for tiles made from the same clay material is steep.JCHS located tiles made from an alternative material that is acceptable and placed an order to lock in the price. A down payment of $200,000 has already been made. The remainder needs to be paid when they are delivered and installed.Alan Dux with JCHS gave an update to Jefferson County Commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, “The tiles are supposed to be done at the factory the 29th of this month, will be probably shipped sometime in October.”Dux said, “Right now, we’ve been turned down for every grant we’ve applied for. We’re $150,000 short. So we have to come up with some money somewhere fairly soon.”Dux noted there is still one grant pending.Dux expressed disappointment with the lack of support from the community, “Community support has been, in my opinion, very poor.”In May of this year, 10 11 Now televised an “Our Town Fairbury” special. Dux said, “When we did the “Our Town Fairbury” segment, we had a number for donations for the roof. We did not get one call for that.”JCHS is still trying to raise the money. Dux said, “Yeah, we have one fundraiser lined up in October. Kelly Davis is going to put on a putt putt golf thing. He thinks he can raise $10,000, but that’s a long ways from $150,000.”Commissioners asked about the possibility of JCHS asking for a loan. Dux explained the problem with a loan, “And if we got a loan, then that kills all grants because grants consider that a source of credit. And so they just immediately wipe us off, because you’ve already got the money if you’ve got a loan. So it’s just we’re in a bad situation.”While Jefferson County Commissioners are anxious to see the depot remain, given the historical significance and value for tourism, they are unable to provide the historical society with more money as they have already reached the tax levy limit.Earlier this year, Jefferson County Commissioners agreed to provide JCHS with $50,000 to begin work on the roof. Those funds came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). One of the stated uses of ARPA is for tourism.ARPA funds are an exception to the levy limit. Unfortunately, most of the county’s unused ARPA funds are earmarked for broadband expansion. The county is therefore looking into taking funds out of the broadband allocation and using inheritance tax money instead, thus freeing up more ARPA funds for the depot.In the meantime, JCHS is continuing to look into other possible fund-raising avenues and is still accepting donations from the public.

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