Colfax allocates up to $5,000 in seed money for Railroad Heritage Park drawings and outreach

The Colfax City Council on Nov. 13 approved up to $5,000 in seed funding to support design work and early fundraising for a proposed Railroad Heritage Park.

Members of the project committee, including Rick Neville and Roger (surname not specified), described the proposed park as a public gathering area to highlight Colfax's railroad history and to feature a donated flat car, a caboose and other exhibits honoring Native American history and Chinese railroad workers. Neville said the committee estimates the cost to move the caboose and create the initial park area at about $60,000 and reported roughly $4,500 in donations already collected.

The $5,000 council allocation was described as seed money to pay for architectural and technical drawings and to assemble a professional grant portfolio for larger donors. Committee members said they plan to pursue grant applications and partner donations and that they intend to file for a dedicated nonprofit (501(c)(3)) to hold funds, with filing expected in the coming months.

Council member Larry moved to allocate up to $5,000 and Council member Chung seconded; the motion carried with all voting in favor. Staff clarified the city maintains a single events/nonprofit funding bucket in the current fiscal year; staff reported $5,000 of the $30,000 budgeted had been used earlier in the year, and this allocation would bring the nonprofit/events bucket to approximately $10,000 spent if the council payment is made from that fund.

Project volunteers said Union Pacific (UP) has given permission for work near the tracks and that Amtrak plans to rebuild the platform starting in spring; volunteers expect the work will proceed in stages and that donor contributions will cover moving costs rather than direct city capital expense.