By By Ben Alexander/The Meridian Star
Jan. 24, 2001
The revitalization of Union Station is being featured as one of 10 community success stories in a booklet produced in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to Mayor John Robert Smith.
Smith shared the information with city council members at Tuesday night's regular meeting.
The publication was produced by the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration.
The booklet entitled "Communities Benefit!" is designed to be used by communities around the country and transportation entities to illustrate the positive social and economic aspects of transportation enhancements.
Among other parts of the Union Station project the booklet talks about Meridian's ability to envision what the station could be at a time when it was run down. After an extensive rehabilitation effort the booklet points out that now more than $10 million in private investment around the deport area has been a by-product of the city's work.
Other success stories featured in the booklet included another revitalized railroad depot in Holly Springs, Ga. and the planned building of a River Heritage Museum in Paducah, Ky.
Smith said thousands of the booklets will be presented to local transportation departments across the country and given out to hundreds of mayors from all over the nation.
Ben Alexander is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at balexander@themeridianstar.com.