The Romeo Observer - Romeo, Michigan: Northern Macomb County's weekly newspaper since 1866

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CURTIS OSTRANDER	DUAINE HARDING
ELEANOR TODD	ELMER "BUD" HAHN
GERVASE KILEY	MARIAN SUTTON
ORLO KIRKUM	SLAVA KOKOTOVICH
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Renovations at Cranberry
Lake Farm close to finished

by STACY SOBOTKA
Observer Special Writer

      The final phase of renovation at Cranberry Lake Farm will soon take place with work being done on the main house.
       The Oakland Township Board of Trustees approved a recommendation from the Historic District Commission (HDC) for a vendor to remove asbestos at its meeting Feb. 9.
       "We were going to leave the great room ceiling as a containment, but the Parks and Rec recommended that . . . if you are walking up on the catwalk you could actually reach up and touch it," said Barbara Barber of the HDC.
       The HDC will cover the costs, projected to be between $9,000 and $10,000. Environmental Maintenance Engineers will remove asbestos materials in the kitchen ceiling and great room ceiling, then perform air quality monitoring. A third party will then conduct its own air quality monitoring before allowing the building to be opened to the public.
       The board also heard a presentation of the main house's renovation project from Chris Aller of Stephen Auger & Associates.
       Improvements include wheelchair ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and pathways to allow easier access to the buildings along the north side of the farm. "Our goal was to minimize the impact on the house visually," said Aller.
       Also planned are air conditioning, and reinforcement of floors for public functions.
       Contractors are already placing bids, and the final selection will take place next month. Work on the main building is expected to take six to eight months, with a projected completion date set at October 2010. "After all this work is done, (the renovation) will be done and ready to be opened up to the public," said Aller.
       Though the costs were large, a millage is helping to cover costs, and the HDC members believe it is an important part of Oakland Township's heritage.
       "We can keep a piece of the past that is really a part of the township," said Josi Whitson of the HDC. "I am convinced that there will be a lot of pleasure coming out of the ownership for the township and for the people of the township to enjoy what is theirs."
       In other business, the Board of Trustees:
       • Approved the NO-HAZ Interlocal Agreement.
       • Approved a resolution supporting facilitation of the NO-HAZ program for the next two years.