Ortonville- A fire suppression system for the Old Mill will be installed following the village council’s designation of $6,400 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the project.
The council unanimously approved 80 percent of the $8,000 in funds they will receive in 2006 from the federal government to go to the nearly 150-year-old building. The remainder, $1600, is earmarked for the village’s master plan.
Ortonville Historical Society President Tom Stowell plans to combine the money with $2,500 in CDBG funds approved for the Old Mill from the township to pay for a fire suppression system, the type of which is still being explored. The building currently has only fire alarms and extinguishers.
‘We’re happy,? Stowell said. ‘I think it’s something very important. Protecting the whole building mean you might lose a quarter of the building instead of the whole thing in the case of a fire. It’s better to lose a portion than the whole structure.?
Stowell believes the Old Mill will be out of the range for CDBG project funds after this year. Funds for historical buildings must be used for structural items aimed at preservation. In the past, CDBG funds for the Old Mill have been used to rebuild the front deck, repair the roof, shore up beams and posts inside, and remove mold.