A final decision on whether the North Shore Scenic Railroad will purchase the Lighthouse at Emily's restaurant building has been pushed to May to allow for more information gathering.
The purchase would add Knife River to the list of stops for the railroad. NSSR general manager Ken Buehler announced earlier this month that he had secured the funding to purchase the building.
Buehler said the board of directors was supportive of the business plan and concept during a meeting Thursday, but wants due diligence before the final decision is made. The board gave Buehler a list of items it wants researched in the next four weeks, with the plan to consider the purchase again at its May 15 meeting.
"In the meantime, Emily's will remain open and the building will remain on the market," Buehler said.
The restaurant's owners had announced in August that they would be closing their doors in October because the building's owner was putting the property up for sale. The restaurant then entered a month-to-month lease with the owner until the building's fate was decided. Emily's reopened in January.
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If NSSR purchases the building, Lighthouse at Emily's would remain open under a new lease with the railroad.
Knife River would be the railroad's first new stop in 20 years and wouldn't cut into the service to Two Harbors, Buehler said earlier this month at a Knife River Recreation Council program. The tourist railroad had 78,000 passengers last year and 6,800 of those passengers went from Duluth to Two Harbors.
