Libby train depot getting a facelift

On the outside, old, rotten boards are taken off to make room for new siding Friday afternoon. (Bethany Rolfson/The Western News)

In the depot’s main lobby, the ceiling has been torn down to make room for a brand-new one. (Bethany Rolfson/The Western News)

by The Western News
| August 23, 2016 6:35 PM

In the depots main lobby, the ceiling has been torn down to make room for a brand-new one. (Bethany Rolfson/The Western News)

The historic Libby Amtrak Train Depot is going through improvements this summer.

According to Bob Drake, a local contractor working on the project, construction began last week, and he estimates that the construction will be completed about a month from now. Drake is working with D.D. Construction out of California.

Drake said that they are replacing some of the boards on the exterior that were rotting, and will be replacing the roof, ceiling and adding new tile to the lobby area.

The new improvements include brand new handicap-accessible bathrooms. The bathrooms will have brand-new tile, toilets, sinks and paint. According to Drake, only one bathroom was usable when they started construction, the other bathroom had been locked.

The 76-year-old depot hasn’t been through many changes over the years, and according to former Libby District Ranger Malcolm Edwards, the last improvement made was in the early 2000s, when he and a group got together to paint the depot’s exterior.

The train depot was originally built in 1940, with plans drawn out in May and the building was finished in December of that year.