By Monty Siekerman

For several years, the caboose in Railroad Depot Park has needed painting and refurbishing. Now, after extensive study, the upgrade may be at hand.

Mayor David Retterer has called a meeting of village officials and civic leaders to hear the recommendations of a class of engineering students enrolled in EPIC, which stands for Engineering Projects in Community Service.

The team will present the results of its work at 3 p.m. on Monday, April  11, in room 207 of Biggs Engineering Building. The report will include information, such as:

• Recommendations for improvement
• Costs associated with those recommendations
• Suggested vendors to do the work.

The engineering students sought an expert on trains and their restoration. On Feb. 1, Scott Trostel, of near Sidney, met with townspeople, city officials, professors and students to see what needs to be done to spruce up and repair the caboose and how much the work will cost. 

The caboose is an important part of the park...it is used as a background for photographs on an almost daily basis, children enjoy climbing the stairs and turning the clanky wheels, train buffs study it, and, for many, the caboose brings back memories of the heyday of trains.

The caboose (train folks call them rail cars) is an original one from the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was placed here in 1989.

All those interested in learning the results of the study are invited to the meeting on Monday afternoon.