2008 Woodie Awards
La Plata rail resort approaches groundbreaking
Charlotte Keenan
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
For now, the Exhibition of Amtrak History will be displayed aboard two old rail cars behind Depot Inn and Suites in La Plata, Mo., but plans for a more permanent venue at the in-the-works Silver Rails Resort are chugging along.
The official unveiling of Silver Rails Resort will follow ribbon-cutting ceremonies for both the Exhibition of Amtrak History and the Silver Rails Event Center Feb. 23. This kicks off a project co-owner Thomas Marshall said could change the face of La Plata and northern Missouri.
"I feel like some projects are just meant to happen, and northern Missouri is in such desperate need of a new direction," Marshall said.
Marshall said Barry Howard Limited, the company responsible for planning and designing the Hoover Dam and Mount St. Helen's visitor centers, has completed the master plan for Silver Rails Resort. He also said the 170-acre resort will cost $200 million and create about 500 jobs in La Plata.
Silver Rails Resort will accommodate a swiftly growing cultural heritage tourism industry, focusing on Missouri's cultural history and well-known historical figures, he said.
"We have to look at our strengths, and our strength really is our history," Marshall said. "It's our heritage and our history. We are grossly under-marketed."
He said the resort's own train system will connect 10 stations, including an 80,000-square-foot national passenger rail center, a 250-room resort hotel, a spa facility and gardens, an Old West re-enactment area, a water and air activities park, a green energy farm, a shopping and entertainment complex and the 60,000-square-foot Missouri arts and culture center.
Marshall said the business plan for Silver Rails Resort should be finalized by March, followed by the funding and groundbreaking stage.
Already Marshall and his wife, co-owner Kelly Marshall, with the support of their partners at TrainWeb, have spent $4 million in seed money, purchased real estate and funded the Silver Rails Event Center.
The official unveiling of Silver Rails Resort will follow ribbon-cutting ceremonies for both the Exhibition of Amtrak History and the Silver Rails Event Center Feb. 23. This kicks off a project co-owner Thomas Marshall said could change the face of La Plata and northern Missouri.
"I feel like some projects are just meant to happen, and northern Missouri is in such desperate need of a new direction," Marshall said.
Marshall said Barry Howard Limited, the company responsible for planning and designing the Hoover Dam and Mount St. Helen's visitor centers, has completed the master plan for Silver Rails Resort. He also said the 170-acre resort will cost $200 million and create about 500 jobs in La Plata.
Silver Rails Resort will accommodate a swiftly growing cultural heritage tourism industry, focusing on Missouri's cultural history and well-known historical figures, he said.
"We have to look at our strengths, and our strength really is our history," Marshall said. "It's our heritage and our history. We are grossly under-marketed."
He said the resort's own train system will connect 10 stations, including an 80,000-square-foot national passenger rail center, a 250-room resort hotel, a spa facility and gardens, an Old West re-enactment area, a water and air activities park, a green energy farm, a shopping and entertainment complex and the 60,000-square-foot Missouri arts and culture center.
Marshall said the business plan for Silver Rails Resort should be finalized by March, followed by the funding and groundbreaking stage.
Already Marshall and his wife, co-owner Kelly Marshall, with the support of their partners at TrainWeb, have spent $4 million in seed money, purchased real estate and funded the Silver Rails Event Center.
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trissie63
Christina Fry
posted 2/25/08 @ 9:36 PM CST
I am so happy that Kirksville has the Index newspaper! I just love it! I actually think it's a better source of information than the Kirksville Daily Express. (Continued…)
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