Neligh weighs options for Old Mill's future

NELIGH -- A historic location in northeast Nebraska is facing decaying material and a bat infestation.

"It was fun, really. Working with an old structure and redoing things back to it's original is interesting," said Richard Sanne, a 100-year-old resident. 

Sanne along with one coworker constructed some improvements to the Neligh Mill back in the '60s. After rebuilding stairs, repairing the roof, and redoing flooring, it was still in a declining shape. 

"Looking back, we probably wouldn't have put all the work in the facility that we did," said Keith White, the previous owner of the elevator in the 1960's.

"We had to jack it up and put new foundations in it and even then it was a pretty small facility by today's standards," he said.

Though a landmark for the community of Neligh, the mill and elevator are almost 150 years old, having been built in 1873. That's why History Nebraska and several residents with ties to the location met Thursday night to discuss its future. 

"We have been proud owners of Neligh mill for decades and decades," said Jill Dolberg, deputy state historic preservation officer with History Nebraska.

She presented about 20 residents with four possible plans for the elevators.

First, the town could leave it alone to a risky fate. 

"If you were to leave it the way it is and it catches on fire [...] I would for sure think the fire would go over to the mill," said one resident. 

Second, they could consider minimum repairs. 

"In all the old elevators I've been around, I've never ever seen anything like that before," said an Antelope County historian of its unique design. 

But Thursday's attendees were mostly in support of either demolition; or adaptive reuse. 

"I would be in favor of it coming down so you could see the mill," White said. 

Not without disappointment, of course. 

"We just renamed the old district in downtown after the old mill [...] There are plans for signage and when we talk about tearing it down it kind of gives a negative connotation of what we just set out," said one woman. "Neligh will also celebrate its 150th next summer [...]  The message may not be the same if we're tearing down something we're trying to celebrate."

Some suggested relics be kept in a museum. 

History Nebraska will decide which path to take in April and thereafter notify Neligh.