Ortonville – Just like painting the Mackinaw Bridge, the work continues on the Old Mill.
The Ortonville Community Historical Society, the Village of Ortonville, and Brandon and Groveland townships continue to keep Amos Orton’s heritage alive.
To some it may seem that each community endlessly tosses thousands of dollars each year into the restoration of the Old Mill.
To those who identify the 147-year-old grist mill as the foundation of Ortonville, it’s another affectionate gesture of preservation in a series of restoration measures to soften the lines of the aged grist mill.
‘We are generally trying to spiff things up,? said Tom Stowell, Historical Society president.
‘To be more active, and I think we’re succeeding.?
In a letter to the village council in May Stowell explained the painting project would cost $11,500 to strip the lead based paint and repaint the entire mill exterior.
While the Historical Society budgeted $5,000 toward the project, Stowell asked the village to supplement the $11,000.
Last week painters from Russ Adams Painting began the process of completely removing several coats of lead based paint from the exterior of mill.
Russ Adams, owner of Russ Adams Painting said the building will be completely stripped. Taking it down to the bare wood has never been done to the mill before, according to Adams.
‘The product being used is primarily used to restore historic buildings,? said Adams.
‘It will remove an amazing amount of paint.?
Once stripped, Adams said the wood will cure (or dry) for several days, depending on the type of wood and amount of tannins in the wood.
The building will then be covered with the most technological paint available. Adams said as with all other technologies, these coatings are the most prime available and are supposed to last the life of the building.
While the building will look as if it’s in a state of disrepair during the process, which Adams figures will be wrapped up within a month, he teased that it will look as if it belongs to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
‘When we’re done it is going to look like the little house on the prairie,? laughed Adams.
In a newsletter from the Historical Society the structural update of the mill states that beam and post work to shore up the structure has been postponed until fall of 2003. Brandon Township has committed $30,000 to complete the work. Groveland Township has committed Community Development Block Grant funds.
Over the past seven years the village has contributed an excess of $50,000 and Brandon Township has contributed more than $100,000 in CDBG funds during the same period.
The funds have been used to replace the roof, repair beams and ceiling joists, complete drainage improvements, install a new basement floor, repair the front dock, install sidewalks, curbs and grass, add a fire door and metal support beams in the basement, and build a new porch on the west end of the building.