City Actively Looks For Grants To Build Kiosk

WAITSBURG - The city of Waitsburg is seeking grant funding for kiosks that would honor the memory and his­tory of Wait's Mill and the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.

The city, with the help of Jeff Broom, the president of the Waitsburg Historical Society, recently applied for a $13,000 grant from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board.

Broom said the grant opportunity came across City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe's desk and he de­cided to take a shot at it.

"It sounded good," Broom said. "It would be a real shot in the arm."

Hinchliffe said last Tues­day the initial application for the grant was rejected because one of the letters of support for Waitsburg's proj­ect was not from an outside source. Hinchliffe said he sent an appeal to the grant committee and is hoping it will reconsider.

The grant recipients will be selected by the revitaliza­tion board on Sept. 20 and grants will be awarded on Dec. 4.

More than 90 cities, towns, counties and ports have submitted applications, according to the board's website.

Last June, Hinchliffe ap­proached Broom for ideas on how the city could commem­orate the mill in a small way and the kiosk idea was born.

Previously, a much larger project to commemorate the mill had been planned.

In 2010, Jones & Jones, an architectural firm, presented a large, expensive plan to honor the mill. The multi- million dollar concept for the museum grounds proposed a complex of nearly 10,000 square feet of space under various roofs. The proposal didn't gain much traction because it would have taken a long time to build and it was very expensive.

The city has about $1,000 left for a project, Hinchliffe said, and Broom said about $5,000 is left from a previous grant.

He said he believes the project could be accepted because the grant application requires the project expand on an existing theme in the community.

"We're already celebrat­ing our historic downtown," Broom said.

In the grant application, the duo detailed the kiosk that could be constructed at the north end of town where the mill used to sit. The kiosk would have a roof, detailed posters with information about the history and a fence, Broom said.

With the $13,000, if the grant is approved, Broom said Hinchliffe had also talk­ed about making steel silhou­ette sculptures for that site. Broom would also like to hire a local architect to do the design of the kiosk and pos­sibly hire a local contractor to build the small structure. In his wildest dreams if there was still money left over, Broom said he would also look into hiring a graphic designer to design the infor­mative poster.

"(The grant) would def­initely cover it and then some," he said.

If the city doesn't end up getting the grant, Broom said there is still a possibility that the leftover money from the Sherwood Trust from a previous grant could pay for the kiosk. However, he would have to ask the trust for permission and it's truly not his first choice. Broom said he would like some of the Sherwood Trust money to fund a historical display about the mill at the Wilson- Phillips House.

He said a replica of the mill is currently being made, he will need a stand for a turbine from the mill that was saved from the fire and he would like to blow up a graphic and some photos to decorate the walls.