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Work to restore the historic Coraopolis train station is chugging along thanks to a $500,000 matching grant pledge made by a family with local ties.
Officials for the Coraopolis Community Development Corporation say the pledge from Fred and Linda Milanovich will fund the remaining exterior renovation work needed to complete the project. A new roof was recently installed using previous grant funding.
To help meet its matching fundraising responsibilities, the CDC is launching a buy-a-brick campaign in 2022.
Restoring the train station has been a central goal of the corporation since its founding more than 10 years ago. The finished product will house the Coach Fred Milanovich Center for Community Connection, to be used for community events, private parties and educational seminars.
Namesake Fred Milanovich Sr. was a teacher and coach at the former Coraopolis High School from 1945-1960. In making the pledge, his son Fred Milanovich Jr. said the community held a special place in his father’s heart.
“In his later years my father’s conversation often drifted back to his days in Cory,” Milanovich said. “Quite simply, he loved the community and cherished his experiences there.”