Logan County Tourism Bureau seeks Lincoln’s assistance in Mill on Route 66 Museum repair

 

[July 16, 2020] 

At the Tuesday evening meeting of the Lincoln City Council, Logan County Tourism Bureau Director Morgan Gleason brought forth a request for financial assistance from the city for repairs needed at the Mill on Route 66 Museum in Lincoln.

Background

The Mill Restaurant opened in 1929 as the Blue Mill and consisted of only the front part of the building. At that time it was a roadside sandwich shop called the Blue Mill. It later sold to the Huffman’s who renamed it The Mill. The back portion of the current building was added on. That two story building was an old military barracks that was moved to Lincoln for the restaurant expansion.

The Mill was a popular attraction during the Route 66 boon with many visitors traveling the historic Mother Road enjoying stops at the Mill. It was also a hang-out for many locals and some very colorful figures in local history.

The Mill closed its doors permanently in 1996 and was left abandoned until 2006 when it was taken over by the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County. The foundation was formed specifically for the take-over of the Mill and to turn the location into a Route 66 Museum.

In 2017, the Mill was officially opened as a museum and has entertained a number of Route 66 travelers since that time.

Earlier this year, the Heritage Foundation announced that they were going to dissolve. They sought out the Logan County Tourism Bureau (LCTB) as the potential new owners of the Mill. In February, the LCTB board voted to take over the Mill, knowing that there was work that needed to be done in order to keep the building viable.

The group was made aware immediately that the north side of the building was going to need some attention. That side is where the kitchen had stood when the Mill was owned by the Huffman’s. The kitchen had been torn down and the wall had been closed using pressed plywood finished with a coat of paint. The plywood was at best a temporary fix that had to be redone from time to time in order to maintain the integrity of the building.

The LCTB board anticipated they would have to do something more substantial to maintain the north side of the building on a long-term basis.

After taking over the Mill, Gleason discovered that the north side is causing moisture issues inside the building. Looking at the situation with professionals, it was determined that there was a concrete pad that was tilted in the wrong direction, allowing water to stand and even seep in under the walls of the Mill. The front stair case of the building was a particularly big problem.

Other less serious issues included some leakage around windows and wear, tear, and damage to the siding of the building. Gleason reported to her board, and was authorized to seek bids on a number of options for the repair of the building.

This week

Gleason outlined three different sets of specifications for the repair work and received bids from three local contractors. In early June when the board met for the first time since the COVID outbreak, members reviewed the quotes and then asked for an additional option of putting vinyl siding on the entire building. At the end of June when the board met again, they reviewed two additional bids on the vinyl siding from AAA Windows and siding and Matthews Construction, both of Lincoln. Matthews came in with the low bid and was selected to do the work.

Matthews was contacted and asked to come to the meeting to field some questions from the board. Knowing that the front stairwell was a source of much of the moisture issues in the building, the board asked Matthews if he would remove that structure at no extra cost before moving into the residing work. Matthews said that he would be happy to do that at no extra charge.

Other discussion with Matthews included how the building would be treated. Matthews said that there will be a “wrap” put on the entire building, and then new siding would be placed over the wrap. The siding will be the two tones that are currently on the building, red at top and white at bottom.

Matthews bid came in at approximately $27,000. In addition, the board approved a bid from Rainbow Gutter for new guttering all around the building. With the siding, guttering, and removal of the concrete pad that is causing issues, the total bill for the repairs will come in just over $31,000.

This week at the city council, Gleason offered an abbreviated overview of the work needed and presented the entire amount of $31,000 to the board.
When asked how much help the LCTB needed, Gleason said she was hoping the city would pay $15,000 from its current balance in the hotel/motel tax.

Since taking on the hotel/motel tax, the city has withheld a small percentage of the tax revenue for use for tourism promotion within the city. Currently the only money being taken from the fund is for the Third Friday events held in the summer, and support for the annual Pigs and Swings events - none of which have taken place this year due to the coronavirus.

In addition, the city has left over funds from previous year. Tuesday night City Treasurer Chuck Conzo reported the current balance in that line item is just at $60,000.

Gleason was asked if the LCTB was committed to completing these repairs regardless of the city’s willingness to help. Gleason said it was. She said that the board does have the money to pay all the costs. However, there is more work that needs to be done, and receiving assistance for this project will make it possible for the board to do more work that is also needed, such as climate control within the building. Currently there is no heat in the building and only one small window air conditioner.

Steve Parrott who also sits on the LCTB Board said that the tourism bureau is also taking a hit this year due to coronavirus. State funding was halted and will be reduced in the new fiscal year, and of course, the hotel/motel tax revenue is going to be smaller this year. He said with the city having extra funds, now would be a great time to help out the bureau with this project.

Conzo reminded the council that the fund can only be used to promote tourism in Lincoln. He said that fixing the Mill definitely falls within that definition. He added that with that restriction, the excess cash cannot be moved into the general fund for city expenses. Conzo concluded, “I think it would be a good use of our share.”

Acting Mayor Tracy Welch is also a member of the LCTB Board and said that the whole board had taken into consideration the life of the repairs. He said that the siding option for the building will extend the life of the building another 40 years. The board had opted for the long-term fix anticipating that it would not have to be done again for a long time.

Ron Keller said that he supported the idea of repairing the Mill. However, he was concerned that the city might be opening up a regrettable door. He wondered what would happen now, if there would be others who came to the city for support of their structures. Conzo said that was certainly possible and the city would need to consider those requests as well.

Kevin Bateman said he was certainly in favor of helping with the project, but he wondered about the colors. Would the new siding imitate the current look of the building?

Gleason said it would.

Parrott asked if there was a completion date for the work. Gleason said that Matthews had started in early July with some of the work. She did not have an exact completion date but was hoping all the work would be done by fall. She added that the Mill will remain closed this year, and that a re-opening event will take place in the spring of 2021.

Jeff Hoinacki said he was also in favor of helping with the project but wanted to make sure that the public understands the money being used is solely from the hotel/motel tax and not from the city’s general fund, thus not from property taxes paid by Lincoln residents.

The discussion concluded with Bateman asking for the $15,000 request to be placed on the voting agenda for Monday, July 20th.

Photos

The goal of the LCTB is to preserve the overall integrity of the Mill on Route 66 structure and at the same time improve its appearance and make it more inviting for visitors. Board members agreed that while historic preservation is important, it is also important for visitors to feel safe entering a building. A building that looks worn out and rundown is not inviting.

The front of the Mill is four-inch siding. The new siding will be four-inch all over the building; red at the top and white at the bottom.

The back part of the building is very old, slate siding that cannot be replaced. To improve the overall look of the building the new siding will cover up the old damaged slats.

The brand new addition on the back of the building is raw cedar wood painted white. It has to be re-painted every three to five years. It also doesn’t match the rest of the siding. The new vinyl siding will go over this as well, making the building match from front to back.

With the new siding the front of the building will look much the same as it does now, only cleaner and neater. The LCTB board is also exploring options for the front windows that are currently closed over with only plywood.

The concrete pad on the north side of the building is slanted down toward the building wall, causing standing water issues and seepage into the building. The press wood exterior wall is not weatherproof and subject to rot and decay. Matthews will tear this off and replace it with proper wall boarding and add the house wrap before applying the new siding.

The box shaped addition on the left covers a front staircase. The local fire department has deemed that the staircase is unsafe for use. The staircase is also the source of many of the moisture related issues in the building. Matthews Construction will remove the stairwell and the box structure before putting on the new siding. There is still access to the second floor via another stair well at the back of the building.

[Nila Smith]