The Tava House project moved closer to the groundbreaking stage with the recent removal of the cog railway car in the center of downtown Woodland Park.

From the station to a concrete pad at the Centennial Trailhead on Midland Avenue, the railway cog offers a view of Pikes Peak and will remain among the city’s amenities.

The Tava Group of local investors paid $800,000 to the Downtown Development Authority in 2021 for 6.63 acres in Woodland Station. Among the plans for the property are a steakhouse, a culinary school with chef Victor Matthews and an events center.

Removing the car was among the last steps in moving the project forward, along with resolving access issues with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Access to the development will be from U.S. 24.

The cog has been a sore spot in the project since the investors bought the property, with the agreement the car would be removed at their expense.

At issue was how the cog got there in the first place. In 2019, a former board accepted the donation of the No. 15 car by the Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

At the time, the late Duane Carter funded the $12,000 transport cost from Manitou Springs to Woodland Park. It was subsequently dedicated to his late wife, Myrna.

With the move last week, the car retains the name “Myrna.”

But the Carter adult children opposed the move, with lawyers on both sides attempting a solution. Only when the Carters’ lawyer discovered a document that established the Ute Pass Historical Society as the rightful owners did the controversy rest. The document is an agreement that transfers ownership of the “Myrna Cog Rail Car” with rails and ties, to the Ute Pass Historical Society.

Donna Finicle, executive director of the nonprofit historical society, credits City Manager Aaron Vassalotti for approving a new location.

“The city paid for the concrete base and is footing the bill for the insurance,” she said. “There are cameras at the trailhead to photograph anyone who tries to damage the property.”

The Tava Group paid for equipment and other costs associated with the move of the car.

The Ute Pass Historical Society considers the car one of its historical artifacts housed in its museum. “Our collection includes artifacts from outside of Manitou through Divide,” Finicle said, adding that the cog car is part of Ute Pass history as it relates to transportation by railroads in the 20th century.