(The following story by Stephanie Harris-Smith appeared on the Hope Star website on October 11, 2010.)
HOPE, Ark. — Seventeen years and still getting there. Hope City Officials have pursued flagging down the Amtrak Texas Eagle as it passes through for many years and have finally got the word that the Amtrak CEO and President Joseph Boardman will be in town Tuesday to speak about the Hope stop and possibly bring in new information.
The public is invited to ceremonies welcoming Boardman at the Hope Visitor Information Center and Depot at 10:30 a.m.
“Mr. Boardman is coming to fulfill a promise that he made after meeting with a delegation from Hope at the TEMPO (Texas Eagle Marketing and Promotion Organization) earlier this year in Chicago,” Amtrak Media Relations and Government Affairs Communications Manager Marc Magliari said.
Magliari said the group that will be arrive in town tonight includes himself, Boardman, Todd Stennis, the New Orleans based government affairs director, Joy Smith, passenger services superintendent for the Central Division and also John Bueschel, the district manager for the Central Division which includes Hope. Bueschal is responsible for stations from Arkadelphia to Chicago, according to Magliari.
“We are looking forward to our visit. I know Mr. Boardman, as well, is looking forward to seeing Hope and meeting Hope officials, having heard so much about Hope from the group that met with him,” Magliari said. State Senator Larry Teague, D-Nashville,, Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce members Steve and Cindy Lance, Hope Parks and Tourism Director Paul Henley, and also University of Arkansas Community College at Hope officials attended. Dr. Bill Pollard, active TEMPO member also sat in on the meeting with the Boardman, according to Henley.
“The group discussed what an attractive market Hope would be for our train, the Texas Eagle,” Magliari said.
Hope City Manager Catherine Cook is happy about the visit.
“We are hopeful we will get some sort of positive notice about our stop and about out future plans for the depot as it regards to Amtrak. We have been working on this for a very long time. Paul Henley and other elected city officials for the last several years have been very dedicated to the project that Amtrak will eventually have a stop here,” Cook said.
Cook said this is the first time Boardman has been able to talk about the project in the city.
“That is a major thing. He is the first head of a major transportation agency to visit Hope. This man runs the passenger rail system for the United States. He is coming to visit with the town and with our civic clubs and that is a wonderful thing,” Cook said.
Cook stressed how much it means for an event such as this to take place when a city has been working on a project for 17 years.
“You hear you have a stop, but still you have been working on something for 17 years, and attended an untold number of meetings about it and worked out 150 details; so, it the event is very important for our community.
“It is something there has been a lot of community support on for 17 years and it was the genesis of an idea that went back even before that. Whether or not it is a complete announcement or whether there is something greater that may come of this, I think we are all going to be very happy,” Cook said.
She said in any government project there are many hurdles to clear and it would be easy to lose sight of it.
“You just have to refocus and rededicate periodically and we are, and we have, and hopefully we are coming to see that joy in project completion on this one,” Cook said.
The agenda for the day is as follows:
Public depot ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.:
— Welcome by Hope Mayor Dennis Ramsey
— Comments by Arkansas Senator Larry Teague.
— Comments by Congressman Mike Ross
— Comments by Joseph Boardman, Amtrak chairman.
— Comments by Dan Flowers, Arkansas Highways and Transportation Dept.
— Response by Mayor Ramsey.
— Closing remarks by State Representative David “Bubba” Powers.
— Joint luncheon of Hope civic clubs at Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative (noon):
— Welcome by Mayor Dennis Ramsey.
— Comments by Congressman Mike Ross
— Main program: Joseph Boardman, Amtrak chairman.
— Closing by Mayor Ramsey.