Published: July 18, 2008 04:33 pm            

Princeton progress — Grants help worthy projects

Four Governor’s Community Participation Grant awards will go a long way toward assisting several worthwhile projects in the city of Princeton.

A $29,500 award will be used to construct new sidewalks on Mercer, Sixth and 10th Streets in Princeton. A second $7,500 grant will be used by the city to install a new lighting system and dry deck flooring at the Princeton City Pool.

A third grant for $7,500 was awarded to the city to relocate the historic railroad caboose from city hall to the new Princeton Railroad Museum. A fourth grant for $7,500 was awarded to the city to purchase and install an upgraded security system for the Princeton Railroad Museum.

The new sidewalks are certainly welcomed, and the lighting and deck flooring improvements should help to enhance the city pool.

The funding for the security system upgrade at the railroad museum also is urgently needed, as is the funding for the long-awaited relocation of the historic caboose from its current location at the municipal building to the Princeton Railroad Museum.

Connie Shumate, director of the railroad museum, said the grant funding will help with preserving history. Shumate said officials hope the caboose can be relocated to the railroad museum soon. The caboose was originally built for the Virginian Railway in 1949.

The redevelopment of the former Virginian passenger station two years ago by the city has provided a new economic development and tourism boost for Princeton. It is a dynamic addition to the city, and the state funding support for the Princeton Railroad Museum is crucial.

The Princeton Railroad Museum outlines the history of local railroads and how they came to life in Princeton and the region. The museum includes dozens of railroad artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of those who worked along the railroad. It includes exhibits related to both the Virginian and the Norfolk and Western rail lines.

The museum is a replica of Princeton’s former Virginian Railway Station, which was built in 1909 and later demolished in 1979.

We welcome the state grants for these four very important projects for Princeton.

The four projects represent another sign of progress in the city. Princeton has experienced tremendous growth in recent months, including the new Chuck Mathena Center, the soon-to-be-opened Walgreens at the corner of Stafford Drive and Courthouse Road, the new Sonic’s Drive-In, and, of course, all of the new growth just outside of the city limits near the Interstate 77 corridor .

It is our hope that we will continue to see additional growth and progress in Princeton, as well as continued state funding support for such worthwhile projects in the city.

        

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