November 16, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 13 The Waldwick Community Alliance will mark the ceremonial beginning of the Waldwick Train Station restoration with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. The groundbreaking will also celebrate the determination and spirit of the non-profit group, which overcame tremendous bureaucratic obstacles to arrive at this juncture. Built in 1887 by the Delaware Lackawanna & Erie Railroad, the Waldwick Train Groundbreaking scheduled for train station restoration ment and grading to prevent further water damage. Holding four or five fundraisers per year, the organization has accumulated enough funds to begin restoration work and apply for available grants. Alliance Vice President Doug Cowie said last week that the group is currently awaiting on word that it will receive a $293,862 grant from the Bergen County Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The final say will be at a Bergen Board of Freeholders meeting scheduled for Nov. 22. Total restoration estimates are constantly changing as more and more of the building is uncovered, but a reasonable estimate is likely to top $600,000, Cowie said. Part of the reason for such an expense is due to the fact that the building is listed on both the state and national historic registries and because the station sits on state-owned land. This triggers staggering insurance requirements and a requirement to pay contractors prevailing wage, which is a substantially higher rate than would be paid if not on state-owned land,” Cowie explained. Ultimately, the all-volunteer WCA aims to establish a local history and railroad museum. The group has been collecting photographs and documents as well as artifacts from the rail station, including a functioning freight scale, original iron fencing, early 20th-century light fixtures and freight receipts that help illustrate the small depot’s role in the late 19th / early 20th century transportation industry and suburban growth the area enjoyed as a result of the construction of the Waldwick Station. At one time, 50 percent of all households in Waldwick had a least one family member working for the railroad. Station has been at the center of a community’s birth, growth and eventual decline. In 2005, the Waldwick Community Alliance, a 501 (c)3 non-profit charity organization made up of business owners and residents, made a commitment that it would work to revitalize the downtown area around the railroad tracks. While the WCA has completed other projects, its crown jewel is the total restoration of the abandoned and dilapidated station. After over two years of negotiations, the Alliance was able to secure a favorable lease from its owner, NJ Transit, for a period of 25 years for $1.00 per year. Since that time the WCA has secured the interior and provided temporary roof repairs. The work now beginning includes roof and chimney repairs, Yankee gutter and sill plate replace- Above: Joe Salvi and Chuck Wanamaker move debris. Left: A worker inspects rotted sheating and the sill plate.