Durham Township’s supervisors are planning to partner with the Durham Historical Society to come up with $20,640 to repair the damaged cupola atop the iconic Durham Grist Mill.
The township owns the mill and the historical society has been using grant money to restore and update the 1820 building and make it safer for visitors.
David Oleksa, society president, said water had damaged the cupola and asked the supervisors if they would put up 50% of the repair cost.
Supervisor Chairman Bartley E. Millett and Supervisor Kathleen Gentner agreed, in the absence of Supervisor Richard Johnson.
Oleksa said the society could handle the paperwork. There is money available in the township’s mill fund and there are opportunities to combine that with a grant, he noted.
Oleksa said he had received an estimate of $20,640 from Mark Southard of Artisanal Structures, Bethlehem, and would apply for a grant to cover half of the required funding.
The supervisors also agreed to pay DVC Roofing $350 to clean the gutters on the grist mill.
While Durham Roadmaster Peter Cox was out clearing the township’s roads after the day’s snowstorm, the township supervisors also agreed to his proposal for repairing and paving five of those roads.
The supervisors voted to accept and advertise the projects, which will involve work on Funks Mill, Sherers Hill, Kintner, Countryside and Dogwood roads.
Millett also made a point of praising former Roadmaster Ronald G. Fox, who died Jan. 13. Millett read Fox’s obituary and called for a moment of silence in his memory. Millett said, “Ron provided long years of service to many institutions.”
In other business, the supervisors agreed to send a letter of support for the Riegelsville Public Library’s application for a T-Mobile Hometown Grant.
The board also approved the expenditure of $780 for a replacement computer for the administrator’s use.
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