Agreement Made Between City and ACHS
An agreement between the Adams County Historical Society and the City of New Meadows was made official Monday, March 30, 2025 regarding the transfer, use, and maintenance of the Historic Pacific & Idaho Northern Railway Depot.
Introductory statements were made by Mayor Julie Good and ACHS President Richard Nine. Individual public comment, questions and answers followed. The meeting ended with the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ACHS and City of New Meadows, approval of a 99 year lease with ACHS, and approval of City acquisition of The Depot.
About 35 members of the public attended the meeting including nine members of the ACHS and along with all four City Council Members, the Mayor, City Clerk, and City Deputy Clerk. Copies of the full MOU were available to all in attendance. Twelve people chose to speak publicly with most in favor of the agreement and mixed questions and concerns against it.
The Historic P & I.N. Depot was established in 1911. ACHS was created as a non-profit in 1978 and they also purchased the P. & I.N. Depot that year. The goal of ACHS and their mission statement, Nine stated in his introduction, is to rescue, restore, and manage to preserve the Depot. The ACHS Mission Statement is to preserve, protect and restore the human and natural histories of Adams County for the informational and educational benefit of the public.
Mayor Good stated the City’s “Highest priority at the forefront are protecting and promoting the historical significance of this building as well as providing for the organization that has invested so much into this community to continue to do great work.”
Nine announced that ACHS has reached an agreement with the City of New Meadows to transfer the ownership of the Depot to the City of New Meadows. ‘Over time it has become clear that regular maintenance is needed along with more regular observation of the building in order to spot problems ahead of time,” said Nine. The agreement would have City Hall move into the Depot while ACHS would keep use of some areas for storage and work.
The Depot would be open as a museum during City Hall open hours making it a place people can visit much more often than currently available. The ACHS would update the exhibits and they hope with the agreement to have more time to put together programs and do more preservation of historical items.
Mayor Good also stated that the current building projects of the Mehen Memorial Skatepark and the new Youth Center are both being fully funded outside of city funds. The skatepark has been fully funded with fundraising efforts by their organization. The Youth Center is being funded by multiple generous donations and grants.
The Mayor affirmed that with this agreement “all decisions regarding changes to this building will require the approval of the ACHS since they are the Historic Guardians of this community”.
Each City Council member then made a statement noting personal and historical significance of the building, their long processed support of the agreement, and the great opportunity available to the public to be able to visit this historical building more often. The Council expressed that they had met many times and looked into all details to ensure any concerns would be covered in the agreement. Councilmember Ryker gave some history noting that founder Colonel Heigho was dubbed “the moving spirit of the establishment of the town of New Meadows” and that she hopes the preservation of this building and its history will be a “planting of proverbial trees in whose shade we may not lie, but may be used in the future” by those who go after us.
Attendees who had signed up were then given time to give individual public comment. Repeated expressions of gratitude to the members of the ACHS who have kept the Depot in beautiful condition, offered personal tours, and have volunteered their time, sweat, and efforts to the preservation of the Depot were given. Many people told stories of their family ties to New Meadows, the railroad, and the Depot.
Expressed concerns included distrust that the City would honor the legacy of the building and that they may not truly have enough resources or staff to maintain the building as agreed. Speakers also expressed concern over the short notice to the public and that discussions had occurred in Executive Session. Some wondered why they were not asked to help if the board was needing assistance or support. Fire Fighter and EMT Johnny Brown noted concern over the lack of a secondary egress for the second floor of the building and expressed concern over ADA accessibility if that were to be open to the public. Mayor Good confirmed the second floor will only be used for storage.
Concern was also expressed over if visitors may be less likely to donate if the City owns the Depot instead of ACHS. Concern was expressed over the deed and if there were any restrictions on it. Affirmation was given that all deeds are in order and the city and ACHS has copies of them all. Mayor Good and ACHS members also noted that part of the MOU states the building can never be sold, but must revert back to ACHS at the end of the 99 years or if the city no longer wants to own it.
Others expressed support of the agreement noted the mutual benefits for the City, the ACHS, and the community. The community will have this historic building preserved and a museum to visit. The ACHS members expressed hope and excitement that this agreement would give them more time to preserve history, learn, and create new programs for visitors.
They also expressed that they each had a lawyer look through the agreement and had gone back and forth with the city numerous times until they were sure the agreement would be best for the society, the community, and the preservation of the Depot.
Mayor Good added that the other consideration and benefit in this agreement is that City Hall needs expanding or a new building, making the move to the Depot a win-win for all involved including the community. Nine stated he does not see a long future for this building without the agreement as the building needs to be occupied on a regular basis to prevent deterioration and keep up on maintenance.
After a moment of consideration, motions were made and passed. First, a motion for the approval of the MOU with ACHS. Next, a motion was made and seconded for the approval of a 99 year lease with ACHS. Then, a motion was made and seconded for the approval of City Acquisition of The Historic P&IN Depot. All motions were given a roll call vote and all council members voted in favor except Josh Carr who abstained from voting noting he thought they should take more time to consider the public’s input. All items were approved and passed.
Finally, an emergency RV no fee permit for dry camping was approved unanimously by the council with consideration to the closure of Highway 95 between New Meadows and Council. Stipulations were noted that the land owner would need to sign off on the permit, a plat of where the RV would be located should be submitted to the fire department, and that when the road opens again, anyone dry camping with that permit would need to vacate within 14 days. Since the next City Council meeting is not scheduled until Monday, April 14, permits may be approved by the City Clerk.
