January 15, 2004

EDITORIAL

Grinnell Mill is saved

The Miami Township trustees and Antioch University are to be commended for their efforts to save Grinnell Mill. Antioch rightfully recognized that it could not continue to hold on to the mill and found a means to transfer it to Miami Township. The Township Board of Trustees had the vision and guts to accept the mill and take on the daunting task of rehabilitating the nearly 200-year-old historic structure. Better yet, the Township gained control of the mill with no up-front costs to the taxpayers (though, this also means that Antioch passed on a chance to raise some money by selling the mill). This is the kind of bold leadership we can be proud of.

Local resident Jim Hammond also deserves to be recognized for his role. After his attempt to purchase the mill from Antioch fell through, he devised the idea that Antioch transfer the mill to a nonprofit organization that would be charged with restoring the building. Mr. Hammond has already pledged to fund some of the costs and get involved with the effort to secure the mill’s dilapidated structure. As Township trustee Chris Mucher said, Mr. Hammond “has done more for the preservation of the mill than anyone else.”

These efforts were precipitated by Miami Township Fire-Rescue last June when it declared Grinnell Mill a fire and safety hazard and ordered Antioch to come up with a plan to restore the structure or raze it. Although several people, including Mr. Hammond, had proposals to preserve the mill, negotiations with Antioch kept reaching stalemates.

Last week, however, the trustees and Antioch sealed the deal, and the Township gained control of Grinnell Mill and agreed to lease from Antioch, at no cost, the four acres of land the mill sits on. The Township plans to form a three-person corporation, consisting of a trustee, the director of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute and the president of the Yellow Springs Historical Society, which will oversee renovation efforts and fundraising and decide future uses of the mill. Miami Township also committed $32,000 to rehabilitate the building.

Just because the mill is in the hands of the trustees does not mean that its future is settled. It needs extensive renovation work, which could cost up to $200,000. That’s a price the Township is unlikely to pay, which means the community may be asked to help preserve Grinnell Mill. The Miami Township trustees have shown that they possess the skills and imagination to successfully lead this effort.

—Robert Mihalek