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Resident presses council for update on stalled Rome train station; commissioner says engineer's report pending
Summary
During the March 25 public-comment period, resident Frank Anderson urged an update on the Rome Train Station rehab and on how $500,000 in ARPA funds were spent; Commissioner Michelle Giuliano said the project has stalled due to additional ceiling damage and that she will prepare a cost analysis for the municipal operations committee.
Frank Anderson, a Rome resident, used the public-comment period on March 25 to ask the council for transparency about the long-delayed Rome Train Station rehabilitation. “This council allocated $500,000 of the ARPA funding, for the rehab,” Anderson said, and asked how that money and other funds had been spent given visible deterioration at the site (mud tracked through the lobby, nonworking water fountains and long-standing scaffolding).
Anderson noted Amtrak notices on the station windows that are undated, saying that lack of an end date suggested uncertainty about the project's timeline.
Commissioner Michelle Giuliano responded that the project has stalled after inspectors found additional ceiling damage above the existing scaffolding and that the city is awaiting an engineer’s report. Giuliano said she will prepare a cost analysis and route it to the municipal operations committee before the city provides more detailed updates to residents.
Anderson asked for clarity on priorities given other public investments; councilors acknowledged the concern and noted some exterior work (brickwork and new doors) has been completed while interior work awaits engineering findings.
Next steps: Giuliano will deliver a cost analysis to the municipal operations committee, and the committee will determine public communication and next actions once the engineering report and cost estimates are available.
