Peekskill Train Station Construction ‘Half Complete’

Commuters have been walking around orange cones for months and probably noticed the large construction equipment and crane used lately. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is half done with the work at the and expect to finish the new station by fall of this year, according to Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders.

 The Metro-North finished its design work on the new station in 2009, but had to remove asbestos and lead paint before moving forward with renovations.

Now, they are in the midst of essentially rebuilding the entire station, (originally built in 1890), as they simultaneously renovate the Croton-on-Hudson train station a few miles south. The budget for the two projects together is $15.5 million.

“Between the overpass, staircases and platforms, the station will look like new,” Anders said. (See the full list of improvements below.)

The Metro-North is restoring the station canopy to its historic origins. The station was built in 1890 and the pedestrian overpass was added in 1911, Anders said.

They will also be installing a black iron, vine motif art project that incorporates the word Peekskill. "It is very lovely," Anders said of the project, which will be created by Joy Taylor, of Red Hook, NY. View a drawing of the plans here. 

The iron artwork will be mounted at the main entrance to the inbound platform, above entrances to both elevators and on the handrail on the inbound platform.

"I think it is really good," said Peekskill taxi driver Sebrina Spates of the construction. "Once it is done everyone will appreciate it."

Here is a list of the work being done, provided by Anders.

• -Complete renovation of overpass and staircases
• -New Openable windows, lights, heat
• -Elevator upgrade
• -Fall protection on the overpass so if someone has to work on the roof there is something to hook a harness to.
• -Netting to keep birds from nesting
• -Platform renovation on in and outbound sides, including canopies, platform edge repair, a wooden bumper up against the edge of concrete.
• -Installation of “tactile warning strips,” which are the orange bumpy things on the edge of the platform, installed for vision-impaired riders.
• -Replacement of guardrail at back edge of platform
• -New speakers for the public address system
• -New signs

Seeking Tenant for Former Kelly's Building 

The Metro-North is also working on a separate renovation project repairing parts of the old station building, that was once home to Kelly's Restaurant. The building has remained empty since , but MTA and city officials are hoping that repair work will help the Authority find a new tenant to lease the space.

They have has removed a glass greenhouse type structure that was rotting and is doing some other work on the building to entice a new tenant. 

"The brick is covered with stucco but its painted. All painted exterior surfaces will get a fresh coat of paint in the original historic colors: Cajun Red for cornice and trim, Blue Peacock for doors and window frames and Raging Sea for the gutters and corrugated awning," Anders said.  

The real estate broker hired by Metro-North to handle the leasing has shown the  7,395-square-foot, one-story structure with a 1,630-square-foot outdoor plaza, that was built in 1874, to several prospective tenants, Anders said.   

"We are actively marketing it and we hope to get a new tenant as soon as possible," Anders said.