SANDPOINT — With the new year comes a new lease on life for the Sandpoint Train Depot.

It took no small amount of effort, but an agreement between BNSF Railway, Amtrak and the city of Sandpoint over the restoration of the historic structure is official. All parties signed an autumn agreement delineating individual responsibilities, clearing the way for restoration to begin this year. According to Sandpoint Councilwoman Carrie Logan, one of the several local figures who fought to preserve the depot, work on the project will hopefully begin in May, with an opening date projected for the middle of this year.

“The city of Sandpoint is very committed to preserving and maintaining the depot,” Logan said at a Thursday Friends of the Library meeting.

With all the particulars sorted out amongst the three parties, developments in the Sandpoint Train Depot project will begin happening quickly. A bid is already out for a contractor, and 15 different organizations — several of them local — have expressed an interest. The contractor will probably be selected within a month.

The project is financed through about $1 million given to station owner BNSF Railway by the Idaho Transportation Department. The funds were originally dispersed to mitigate potential damages to the structure during the Sand Creek Byway’s construction. Once work completed without significant impact to the building’s integrity, negotiations over the depot’s future eventually resulted in BNSF signing over the funds to Amtrak for restoration work.

As for the extent of the renovations, that will likely vary based on the limits of available funding. Two separate experts have estimated the project’s costs at $750,000, well within budget. Furthermore, Logan said BNSF backed off on an early stipulation to build a second set of tracks on the property with the funds, saving about $250,000. Finally, a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant platform will be constructed using Amtrak’s ADA project funding. However, Logan added that funds will still be the biggest limiting factor on the project.

The biggest renovation priority is replacing the depot’s badly-damaged roof, Logan said. The replacement roof will likely use composite shingles rather than the terracotta originals as a cost-saving measure, they will hopefully be colored to match the original structure. Other goals include repointing the exterior walls, renovating the interior to ADA compliance and repairing at least some of the cracked terrazzo flooring. Logan said project leaders plan to retain signature historic touches like the benches and radiators.

“Everything they’ll do will represent the historic nature of the building to the best of their ability,” she said.

Only a few years ago, the Sandpoint Train Depot was perilously close to being abandoned, Logan said. Amtrack already had plans in place to move the stop far out of town. Those plans changed when local individuals and the Sandpoint Historic Commission rallied to oppose those plans. Under the new agreement, Amtrak will lease the property from BNSF and maintain the station as an unmanned passenger rail stop. In addition, the potential remains for new improvement efforts after the principle project is complete.

“We need to take this one step at a time ... but I think there’s room for a conversation about staffing the station (in the future),” Logan said.