Open for business.

    That describes Brookhaven’s multimodal transportation facilityafter a dedication ceremony held for the long-in-progress projectWednesday.

    “If the train is going to stop, we need to have something worthy,”said Mayor Les Bumgarner at the dedication.

    Bumgarner surveyed the building and deemed efforts to make it”worthy” successful.

    “If you could see this before they redid it, you would be amazed bythe vision,” he said.

    Amtrak passenger trains will stop at the new facility located atthe end of North Railroad Avenue, replacing the open-air sheltercurrently available for Amtrak passengers. The upgrade to a newfacility could benefit both the city and Amtrak, according to trainservice officials.

    “We have seen economic development spin off from a new trainstation,” said Thomas Stennis, Amtrak director of governmentaffairs, South. “We have also seen increased ridership due toincreased awareness that a station like this brings.”

    The transportation facility was described by speakers at theceremony as the “brainchild” of former Brookhaven Mayor BillGodbold, who left office in 2004.

    It took more than 10 years and two more mayors to bring thatbrainchild to completion. However, Godbold never saw the endresult; he died in 2010.

    But the new station borne of his vision now bears the name “GodboldTransportation Center” in honor of Bill Godbold and his parents,both of whom also served as mayor of the city. A picture of thethree Godbold mayors will hang in the building.

    Stacy Tressell, one of Goldbold’s children, was at the dedicationceremony and felt it honored her father’s memory.

    “My dad would have loved it,” she said. “The city did an excellentjob of fulfilling the wishes of Dad and the needs ofBrookhaven.”

    Tressell said that though she now lives elsewhere, her heart “hasalways been in Brookhaven.”

    And so was Bill Godbold’s. Mike Smith, a friend of the Godboldfamily, spoke at the ceremony and described the dedication he sawin Bill Godbold.

    “I want to talk about his absolute love and devotion to the city ofBrookhaven,” Smith said. “Over 23 years of his life were spent asleader of the city he so loved.”

    Smith said this dedication meant Godbold knew everyone in the city,from trash collectors to bank presidents.

    With the project finished and the ceremony held, use of thefacility will now begin, though under whose operation remainsunclear. The city and Amtrak are negotiating a lease on thebuilding proposed by Amtrak.

    Bumgarner stated the facility will be open and in use even in theabsence of a contract with Amtrak. The city will takeresponsibility for opening and closing the building and stationingsomeone there.

    Bumgarner said a decision has not been made on who will beresponsible for those actions.

    Under the proposed lease, Amtrak would contract someone to staffthe facility 30 minutes before and after every scheduled trainstop.

    The mayor and board of aldermen have described the lease amount asnominal and have stated they see no urgency to settling a leasewith Amtrak.

    At Tuesday’s city board meeting, Bumgarner expressed his interestin placing a police precinct in the building, offering a potentialsolution to staffing dilemmas.