Depot changes move ahead

PALMER — Renovations to a historic train depot are moving forward.

The Palmer City Council had for several years considered turning the former station agents’ quarters at the Palmer Train Depot — currently used for storing folding chairs and other sundries — into the offices of the Palmer Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s plans to relocate to the station were not approved, but Public Works Director Tom Healy says renovation plans have move forward anyway.

The council had previously set aside $90,000 for the project, which survived the removal of several other capital projects in January. In September, the state awarded $200,000 for the project, according to Palmer city council minutes.

The central renovation is the planned addition of a 16-foot by 20-foot unheated addition, which will provide storage space. The project will also include other improvements to the depot, including renovating flooring in the main room, new heat registers, and other improvements.

The improvements at the depot, which has served as a community center and gathering place for some years, will be included in a larger-scale project called the Palmer Buildings Improvement project, which will include improvements to the wastewater treatment plant’s office and lab, as well as improvements to the Public Safety Building, home to both the Palmer Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers’ Palmer Post, and siding on Palmer Fire Department station 1-3, according to Healy.

Four companies met a Dec. 23 deadline for submitting proposals: Architects Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage; RIM Architects, of Anchorage; Stantec, formerly USKH with offices in Wasilla and Anchorage but headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta; and Wolf Architecture of Palmer. Some of the construction on the buildings could begin as early as May, Healy said.

“We’re hoping to get through the design phase and produce bid documents by early April,” he said.

Palmer has worked with some of the companies in the past, though Healy declined to specifically identify which ones. Wolf Architecture has worked on several borough-area buildings, including fire stations 63, 66, and the Valley Residential Services building. RIM Architects played a role in 2003 plans to develop borough-owned property in Hatcher Pass, and designed both the Eilison Visitor’s Center in Denali National Park and the Alaska State Fair Intermodal building on the fairgrounds.Stantec designed the Cook Inlet Regional, Inc.-owned Office Building 40 in Anchorage. Architects Alaska designed Wasilla and Teeland middle schools, the Glacier View K-12 School, and Talkeetna Elementary School.

The city council is set to select a finalist for the design work Jan. 27.