Student researchers suggest renovations, country store for Prater’s Mill

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July 10, 2012

Student researchers suggest renovations, country store for Prater’s Mill

Rachel Brown rachelbrown@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Tue Jul 10, 2012, 09:57 PM EDT

An expanded country store and cafe that’s open year-round could be one way for Prater’s Mill to make money that could pay for its upkeep, according to research a group of University of Georgia students presented Monday.

David Lucey, who collaborated with Drew Cutright and Rachel Johnson on the project, offered their findings on how to improve site design, begin plans for a do-it-yourself interpretive trail of the grounds and grow fruits for jams and jellies that could be sold to help pay for some of the mill’s upkeep.

Prater’s Mill was privately owned for decades before the land was donated to Whitfield County government two years ago. The idea for the student research came about through the Archway Partnership, a University of Georgia initiative that helps communities organize to think through how they want to grow and change and see those changes come about.

The students have worked on the project for several months. Graduate student Nick Patrick was also brought in to conduct a historic structures report to outline the needed upkeep of the 1855 mill and surrounding buildings and suggest ways to make needed repairs without compromising the historic integrity of the building.

He said the front porch at the mill building needs to be replaced because it is sagging at the corners, and other maintenance needs to be done on some areas where the wood is rotting or pulling away. He said the porch, probably built in the 1930s, isn’t “unsafe” at this point but “those sorts of problems get progressively worse.”

“If there’s deferred maintenance on it ... it could lead to potential problems,” he said.

While Whitfield County officials have indicated they don’t have a lot of extra money in their general budget to pour into the mill, Cutright said one solution the students researched could be grants. There are several state, federal and private grants available to historic sites and sites that become income-producing, she said.

Lucey said one idea students had was to plant fruit plants on one of the fields at the site and produce locally-made jams, jellies and other products that could be sold at the country store with proceeds going to the mill’s upkeep. Only one of the three turbines needed to grind the grains is currently working.

While the history of the site might draw an older crowd, plans for expanded trails, the country store/cafe and canoeing could attract younger people, said Cutright.

Several local government officials attended the presentation at the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce and said they will review the information before making a decision.

Melissa Lu, the local Archway professional, said Archway committee members told the students to be bold in their plans and look at the information with “fresh, outside eyes” since none are from Whitfield County.

“We told them they could be bold because they get to leave and not come back,” she said. “We might not like any of it, or we might like all of it or somewhere in between.”

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Student researchers suggest renovations, country store for Prater’s Mill

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