Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $30,800 project study for the Helfrich Springs Grist Mill and Peter Grim Homestead in Whitehall at the June 9 meeting. According to Howard Lieberman, board member and grant administrator of the Whitehall Historical Preservation Society, this study will allow WHPS and developers to construct a plan and help garner ideas for how they’d like to restore the properties while keeping their historic significance.

The board of the two properties said this is their first time heading to the township board for this process of developing plans for the restoration of the grist mill and homestead, located at 501 and 506 Mickley Road.

Lieberman and Stephanie Tashner, WHPS president, said the project is being funded through a reimbursement grant, funds from WHPS and some funds from the state. WHPS has accumulated funds from fundraisers and activities.

Lieberman added WHPS is providing more than what the township has granted the group. According to supporting documentation, the township provided a $10,380 grant from the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program.

Lieberman said there will be five parts to this study. The main concern right now is adding handicapped accessibility to both the Grim Homestead and the grist mill. After the accessibility for the buildings is completed, they are looking to develop a long-term restoration and maintenance plan for both buildings, while trying to keep the significance of both these buildings, which date back to the 19th century.

“The handicapped accessibility will make the properties more attractive for our visitors,” Lieberman said. “Right now, there’s a significant group of people who can’t come here. They can walk around outside, but they can’t get inside or anything. This is a big step.”

Proposals will be completed and evaluated by a committee from WHPS and the township, as to which of the proposals will fit with their overall plans, Lieberman said.

Alice Leiberman, WHPS recording secretary, said the historical society manages the property, and the township owns both properties.

“We’re just the simple nonprofit organization,” Alice Lieberman said. “But we have to move ahead and get these things addressed.”

Plans will be devised to see how handicapped accessibility of the house and mill can be provided. The parking lots will also be adjusted to make them more accessible for handicapped residents.

“It is the logical step, and the important part is that it’s not just a matter of putting a ramp in; it’s a matter of putting a ramp in that’s going to blend with the building so it’ll look as best as it can historically,” Tashner said.

Howard Lieberman said they’d like to come up with a plan to solve water infiltration problems in the grist mill, an issue included in the accessibility plans.

Howard Lieberman added there are concerns about drilling into the structure of the grist mill, since the building is made from stone. He said they don’t want to drill into the stone because it could destroy it, so they are trying to come up with a way to provide handicapped accessibility to the grist mill without causing any structural damage.

According to a brochure from WHPS, the Peter Grim Homestead dates back to 1807. The care of the property was taken on by WHPS in 1977, and preservation of the Grim Homestead began in 1984. The township acquired the property that year as well.

Bobby Miller, who serves on the WHPS board and was coined “Mr. Historical Society” by Tashner, noted the Grim Homestead once housed the Miller family.

The Helfrich Springs Grist Mill was built in 1834 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites in October 1999.

Right now, the board’s goal is to come up with plans to restore the buildings. There hasn’t been any definitive action taken yet.

While a definitive timeline for the start and end of construction hasn’t been determined, the board hopes to have a fully developed plan completed by the end of this year. Howard Lieberman said the plans would need to be approved by the township.

“The important part of history is just talking about it and passing it on from generation to generation. Hopefully, some of it will live beyond us,” Howard Lieberman said. “There’s a tremendous amount of history that is extremely important history.”

The grist mill is open the third Sunday of most months for speaker programs, special events and by appointment.