Historical Structures Report complete
Mill to see $18,000 of essential work
by JILL SCHMELZER Reporter

The Historical Structures Report for the Williamsville Water Mill has been completed.

The Village Board of Trustees purchased the historical building at 56 E. Spring St., along with the adjacent properties at 60 and 80 E. Spring St., in January 2005.

The report focused only on the mill, which was built in 1811 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, according to Bero Architecture P.C., who conducted the report.

It stated "The south wing is in good condition. Foundations need some repair. The south wing did not exist in its present form during the Period of Significance and is not considered architecturally or historically significant."

According to Bero Architecure, "A building's Period of Significance is the span of time when the property was associated with important events, activities or persons; or attained the characteristics which qualify it for National Register listing."

Bero Architects recommended the mill's Period of Significance be considered to extend from the date of construction, which falls somewhere between 1811 and 1828, to 1946.

Representatives from Bero Architectures used a three tiered ranking system, "essential," "preservation" and "optional," to prioritize each remedial work item.

The dollar amounts allocated for each item was based on 2006 values and adjusted to the anticipated 2007 costs.

The immediate work to be done totals approximately $18,000. The total of all priorities, including preservation, is $640,000.

"I am very pleased with the depth and detail that Bero & Associates have included in the Historic Structures Report," Mayor Mary Lowther said. "I have learned some things about the mill that I did not know, and I'm very happy with the financial detail in the report."

She added, " It affirms the decision of the village purchase, because the structure is strong and will be with the community for a long, long time."

Now that the report is completed, the mayor said the next step is utilizing the remaining grant funding and seeking new funding to continue in the restoration repairs.

"The restoration is a lot of money, but it can come as funding is received," Lowther said. "I would love to see the structure painted during the coming season if possible. It has looked run down and unappealing because of the peeling paint especially on the north end."

The mayor added that the board will be able to coordinate grants with the repairs to maximize the amount of work to be done. She predicted that some of the repairs will be seasonal, while others can be worked on at any time.

"This is now the exciting time, to see these efforts begin to happen and see visible signs of change. I can't wait," Lowther said. "Our residents have been very patient as we have worked on this, and I'll be so happy for them to start seeing the realization of changes."

The project is funded by Preserve New York, a grant program of the Preservation League of New York State and the New York State Council on the Arts.