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Volunteer-led restoration of Lansing Millis Memorial Train Station moves forward; fundraising planned for interior work
Summary
Town clerk Ellen Rosenfeld updated the Select Board on near-complete exterior restoration of the historic Lansing Millis Memorial Train Station and outlined remaining interior work; Rosenfeld said she will pursue fundraising and suggested possible uses including a food pantry relocation and a local museum.
Clerk Ellen Rosenfeld presented a slideshow documenting the ongoing restoration of the Lansing Millis Memorial Train Station and discussed potential future uses.
Rosenfeld said exterior work is nearly complete: rotted columns were rebuilt, a copper roof had selective patch repairs, composite (AZEK) trim and railings were installed, and sandstone details were repaired and revealed. She described the station’s second floor, façade details (rosettes and turret), and said the exterior finish is “almost 100% done.” Rosenfeld characterized the interior as "a mess" but described the remaining scope as cosmetic (new flooring, lighting, plaster and paint). She said preliminary interior estimates were in the tens of thousands and that she plans to fundraise rather than seek new town appropriations, noting a donation portal and memo instruction for checks on the town website.
Rosenfeld proposed two possible near-term uses: relocating the food pantry from a cramped church basement to main-floor space to improve accessibility and safeguard operations should the church property be sold, and establishing a local-history museum on the second floor to catalogue and display the historical collection currently stored at Oak Grove Farm. Rosenfeld described a volunteer effort to catalogue artifacts and said the historical commission’s collections are currently overcrowded.
What’s next: Rosenfeld asked residents to consider donating via the town website and said she is soliciting grants and private contributions to complete the interior work and implement a use plan.
