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.. e e e . - 'j." ...;.;,~ ~i MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM INC r: i.. C: August 17, 1982 Please Reply To: Mayor and City Council City of New Brighton 803 5th Avenue NW New Brighton, MN 55112 5818 Knox Avenue S Minneapolis, MN 55419 642-2674 ,Y h ;.'. Subject: Permanent museum site Dear Mayor and Council Members: ; L -r' I would like to summarize our thoughts regarding possible development of a permanent railroad museum at the New Brighton Stockyards. As you may know, we have no permanent home as of August 31, 1982, when we must vacate the Como Shops in St Paul. _ We are pursuing urgently three possibilities for permanent sites. They are, in addition to New Brighton, the Lilydale Park in St Paul, anQ a portion of Burlington Northern trackage in the Stillwater area. 'Our board of directors has taken the position that the museum will move into the first of these sites which becomes available to us. Our hope is that the Stillwater site will be offered as a regular operating site, while either New Brighton or Lilydale will become available for a maintenance facility and general exhibit area. i II II 1! We depend on our own operating revenues and gifts for our development funding. This limits our ability to establish firm developmental timetables. Our experience at the Lake Harriet Trolley site shows that much can be accomplished over a period of years with remarkably little funding. ;i i You have seen the architect's model of our plans for the Long Lake Park site in New Brighton. This was designed by our operating staff, and generally describes how we expect to develop the site. The first building would be the long storage shed, while the others would follow as our funds allow. We envision the storage shed as an inexpensive pole building with some architectural treatment on the exterior. We hope to begin this building as soon as the site is committed and the cost of the building subscribed, probably in the spring of 1983. We anticipate operating on about two weekends per month during the warm months. The extent of the operations will depend on the Minnesota Transfer Railway approval. We have asked their consideration of a 20-year trackage rights agreement for use of their line. Preliminary indications are that their board may act favorably. i i I I j, I ; We expect to collaborate with the New Brighton Historical Society, the Ramsey County Historical Society, and perhaps the Twin Cities Model Railroad Club in development of the site. These groups have complementing interests, and it would seem that they could develop several recreational attractions as part of the park. if J, ;, I. I i' I