Submitted Article / Photos above by Josh Stull
The Nicholson Heritage Association is excited to announce that the Nicholson Tourism Center at the Historic Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) Railroad Station project is ready to go out to bid for renovations. This historic transportation facility preservation and community economic revitalization project received an $821,276 PennDOT Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant for rehabilitation work in late 2014. Since that time, the Association has been diligently working with our partners, including PennDOT, to lay the necessary ground work and meet grant requirements in order to bid the project out.
The deadline for bids to be submitted is June 29, 2018. There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid conference held at 9 am on June 19 at the project site on Route 11, Nicholson, PA 18446. Representatives of the Nicholson Heritage Association and Reuther+Bowen, PC will be present to discuss the project. For those interested in submitting a bid, please visit the following webpage for more detailed information: http://www.nicholsonheritage.org/bid.
The Nicholson Tourism Center at the Historic DL&W Railroad Station will revitalize the region by attracting tourists to the station, the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct (also known as the Tunkhannock Viaduct or the Nicholson Bridge), Nicholson, Historic Tunkhannock, Wyoming County, and the Endless Mountains. The station also will attract visitors to the region by linking to the area’s railroading and transportation attractions, including the Martins Creek Viaduct, Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway, Starrucca Viaduct, Honesdale: the birthplace of American Railroad, Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces, Electric City Trolley Museum, Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, and Steamtown National Historic Site. It will also be used for community events.
Marion Sweet, Chair of the Association, said, “We are excited about the next phase of The Nicholson Tourism Center at the Historic DL&W Railroad Station. Thank you to our partners and individuals who have given so much to keep this project moving forward.” With Wyoming County as project sponsor for the PennDOT grant, Wyoming County Commissioner Ron Williams, who at one time worked at the station, said, “This is a great step forward. We continue to strongly support the Nicholson Heritage Association and this project that will have a long-term positive impact on our county and region.”
The Association purchased the station in June 2012, with donations from individuals, businesses, and a $25,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant. In 2014, the Association held two public meetings, to present and discuss the results of the feasibility study, funded mainly in part by a grant from the Endless Mountains Heritage Region with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources funds. The designs are complete and possible in part to a Tom E. Dailey Foundation grant.
While the TAP grant provides the funds needed to rehabilitate the station, donations continue to be needed to ensure the long-term stability of the project and are greatly appreciated, either by mail to the historical group at P.O. Box 496, Nicholson, PA 18446 or PayPal. More information and a list of our supporters at: http://www.nicholsonstation.org.
The Nicholson Heritage Association is dedicated to the historical preservation of Nicholson and the surrounding region. Nicholson is a small rural town nestled in Wyoming County and the Endless Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Besides this initiative, the Association meets regularly to discuss initiatives that include promoting Nicholson and its historic structures, as well as the Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway. The next meeting is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at the First Presbyterian Church, 65 State Street, in Nicholson. For updates on the Association, please visit http:www.nicholsonheritage.org or visit them on Facebook and Twitter.
