Quick Poll

Have you ever served on a jury?

Recent Polls

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Monday, May 17, 2010 in Local

File Photo

The historic Moreland Mill is increasingly seen as a focal point for economic development through tourism and use of the building for weddings and events.

Improving, preserving mill is Moreland's focus

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

The Moreland Mill is a centerpiece in the south Coweta hamlet's downtown.

For years, many Moreland residents went to work -- making textiles in the rambling brick building. Local citizens and leaders are -- increasingly -- seeing the mill as a focal point for tourism and economic development.

Carol Chancey of Cloudland Canyon Entertainment is starting work with the town and its museums, aiming to bring more visitors to Moreland. She has offered to work with the town council to brainstorm about ways to use the mill better.

She said the mill offers many options for increasing the number of visitors to the town. The massive building already includes a meeting room, the Old Mill Museum and town offices. There also is a large upper floor in need of repair.

A storm damaged the roof of a rear section of the mill -- a space used in years past for storage and for people to eat during the annual July 4 barbecue. Work is proceeding to repair that space before the upcoming Independence Day weekend, and an Eagle Scout candidate will be reworking a storage room in that part of the building for his Eagle project.

Trevor Bachman got his plans approved at the most recent Moreland Town Council meeting. Bachman said he plans to gather fellow Scouts "to go in, clean the place out, put up some walls," he said.

Bachman plans to create a useable storage room with shelving to organize materials.

"It wouldn't take more than a weekend," Bachman said. He said the work will be complete by "very early June."

Councilman Jeff Burgess noted Bachman's handling of the project will get the work done without the town spending "a large amount of money." Dick Ford, another member of the council, deemed Bachman's effort "a great idea."

The city is moving forward with efforts to paint the interior of the renovated space and to put in wiring. "We need to paint before we get the conduit up," Burgess said.

Ford has advocated getting an ice machine and making a few other improvements to the meeting room "to get it ready to promote it for weddings and different events." The council has also talked about getting folding tables and dollies for moving tables and chairs.

The mill has required major work over the years. The council tried several fixes before getting the roof watertight.

Councilwoman Karen King has been exploring options for awnings on the front of the brick edifice. She said she plans to bring a proposal to the June council meeting. The council is looking at gutters for the building.

"We're having water issues," Burgess said. In one part of the structure, water is "coming through the wall," Ford said.

"The mill is just a dinosaur that requires a lot of money," said Ford, who has been an advocate of finding ways to generate some revenue for the town with the structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"This should be the jewel in our little town," Ford said.

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.