ROUSES POINT — The historic train station here has been awarded $832,500 in federal stimulus funding, Gov. David Paterson announced Thursday.

That money, in addition to the $95,000 in federal funds secured by Rep. John McHugh, will be applied to the restoration of the building, which was acquired by the village after years of abandonment.

“The first area seen by our visitors on the train is a visual disaster, providing poor welcome to the United States,” Chamber of Commerce President Gary Douglas said in a news release.

“(That is) something which this restoration project will do much to reverse. And we’ll have a proper facility that can potentially support train-related inspections by U.S. Customs.

“We thank the Governor for this important commitment to completing our vision for a multi-modal Port of Excellence at the Champlain border.”

Rouses Point Mayor George Rivers said the village is working with Barton & Loguidice, an engineering firm based out of Syracuse, which will send the project proposal soon. They plan to go out for bids by the end of this month.

“Let’s face it, I’m on cloud nine right now,” Rivers said.

He said he’s sure this funding will complete the project, which aims to turn the old building into a museum and an Amtrak waiting room.

“A lot of people deserve huge pats on the back.”

Those people, he said, include Douglas; Community Development Consultant Melissa McManus; Barton & Loguidice; and the Rouses Point and Champlain Historical Society.

Rouses Point is a current Amtrak stop on the New York City-Montreal line but has no actual station for passengers.

E-mail Michelle Besaw at:

mbesaw@pressrepublican.com