UP Foundation grants $10,000 to Sultana effort
Railroad supports renovation of historic gym into new site for museum
ralphhardin@gmail.com Every dollar helps when undertaking an ambitious project like converting the old Marion school gym into the new home of the Sultana Disaster Museum, and the City of Marion recently announced a contribution that moves the effort $10,000 closer to becoming a reality.
'We are pleased to formally announce that the Union Pacific Foundation Board has approved a $10,000 local grant to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society for the renovation of the historic gym building as the new Sultana Disaster Museum,' said Madison Weaver, Marion Chamber of Commerce Membership Services Representative.
Marion residents know all too well what a signature part of the community the Union Pacific Railroad is, with tracks running through the heart of the city for more than 100 years. The railroad crossing along Old Military Road will be just down the street from the museum’s new home.
Union Pacific maintains a large presence in Marion, in the Mid-South and across the world.
Some 'fast facts' about Union Pacific:
• The $70 million state-ofthe- art intermodal terminal opened July 13, 1998 to replace two outdated intermodal terminals in Memphis.
• More than 375,000 overthe- road trailers or oceangoing containers can be handled at the facility annually
• There are 2,600 'staging' or parking places for trailers or containers
• Five cranes and one mobile 'packer' life the trailers and containers on and off railcars
• UP originates three intermodal trains daily from Marion going to Los Angeles, Long Beach and Seattle. Four trains terminate at the facility from Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle and Dallas. UP also interchanges intermodal traffic with CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads daily.
Last month, officials behind the project that aims to commemorate America's greatest maritime disaster said they have accomplished key objectives and had moved on to the design and fundraising phase. That is where the UP donation comes in.
“We've come a long way,” said project manager Louis Intres. “It has grown significantly. We're not looking at just a Sultana museum that is going to bring a few thousand people in. We are actually promoting and designing a museum that will be a national destination site with around 35,000 to $50,000 visitors a year. We are looking at an $8 to $10 million project plus another $3 to $4 million for an endowment that would cover operations for at least ten years.”
Photos courtesy of MCOC
Sultana Project Manager Louis Intres
