The Lyon County Commission has directed staff to work with its insurance company and release the details necessary for reconstructing the Dayton Depot and to prepare to go out to bid.
County Comptroller Josh Foli presented three options to the commission Thursday on rebuilding the historic structure that was destroyed by arson in June 2020. Members of the Historic Society of Dayton Valley, residents and visitors have advocated for complete reconstruction according to standards established by the U.S. Department of the Interior for historic properties.
“In this particular case, we have a building that has been immaculately documented inside and out, and so my understanding is whomever builds it, whether it’s the county insurance company or the county or whether it could be a third party building it, it has to be reconstructed historically accurate to what’s been documented on that,” Foli said.
Reconstructing a non-surviving site, building or structure is possible, Foli said, but a caveat is it must adhere to modern building code. Should there be any visible changes that aren’t historically accurate, construction workers do their best to keep those hidden.
The county could allow the insurance company to take control of the reconstruction, work with the engineer and proceed with the project.
“There are certain methodologies to order the lumber precut and potentially that could be something we work with the insurance company and we save everyone money that way,” he said.
One perk is the insurance company does not use prevailing wage jobs and the process is less time-intensive on county staff.
The second option is the board of county commissioners receives a check from the insurance company for $25,000 and assumes control of the project, construction documents and costs to the point it is ready to hire an engineer.
“In the discussions I’ve had with the Historical Society, they really, really want to see this building constructed and historically accurately, and they would like to be involved in the process,” Foli noted. “They would come forward with the $25,000 and cover the deductible for the work, and they’ve been fantastic working with in the past for those types of things. With option two, the challenge would be timing of the funding.”
A final option is not to reconstruct the depot at all without any state or local laws requiring the county to do so. The insurance would reimburse the county in the amount of $380,910.35.
The Dayton Railroad Depot building was destroyed by fire on June 17, 2020. Kurt Selzer of Oak View, Calif., was sentenced to 30 to 81 months in Nevada State Prison and restitution for committing arson to the historic building that had been in the process of restoration. The building was one of the first along the Carson and Colorado Railway built in the 1880s. Dayton resident Stony Tennant, who was working on the building’s restoration in 2020, referred to himself as the hands-on guy for labor-intensive efforts since the fire.
“We have not been sitting around waiting for money,” Tennant told the board Thursday. “We have hired an engineer on our own to redesign that building to meet modern codes. … Our efforts are constantly in mind with the county. We don’t want to put the taxpayer into our restoration.”
Other residents and members of the public expressed their support for reviving the Depot and for HSDV.
Mike Workman, a Dayton resident who owns property immediately behind the site, said he has “deep roots” with the depot. Workman served as Lyon County’s past public works and utilities director and said having performed some of his past duties, it often was easy to lose focus on how well organized groups like the HSDV are with projects like the depot.
“Once you see their level of detail, it’s amazing,” Workman said. “They’re historically correct. Every piece of wood – they’ve got maps. I was proud to get to work with them. … They’re a pleasure to work with.”
Steven Saylor, executive director of the Comstock Foundation and a founding member of the HSDV, told the board via Zoom that his current nonprofit would provide assistance. He referred to a $4,500 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office that helped to restore the Dayton firehouse and jail project.
“We look forward to having the Dayton Depot rebuilt,” he said. “Stony (Tennant) and John (Cassinelli) and all the members and volunteers locally always step up to the plate.”
Christian Mastor of Sebastopol, Calif., submitting his comment by e-mail, said he has a “particular fondness for the Carson and Colorado (Railroad) and later (Southern Pacific) narrow gauge.”
“I would like to encourage you to take advantage of all the work that has already been invested in the preservation effort to restore it accurately for future generations,” Mastor wrote. “Anything less will be a huge disappointment and a failure to honor all those who have worked tirelessly on this project and who have already secured the funding to restore it accurately.”
As of Friday, the HSDV’s GoFundMe page had listed its fundraiser has raised about $4,040 of its $50,000 goal to pay for the reconstruction.
The motion carried 5-0.
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