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Show What's Happening in Grafton? IV Russell Home: The next project for the Grafton Heritage Partnership Project (GHPP) is to save the Russell Home before it collapses. All existing wood and materials will be saved for reuse as much as possible. Work will begin on the rehabilitation of the Russell Home this coming October. Contract awards were given to Russell Bezette with Arid Land Consultants for the adobe work and Neil Takach with Sun Design for exterior wood finishes. More funds are still needed to complete the interior of the home. September 2003 N Russell Home - circa 1950 The first phase to be completed will include re-roofing the structure then making the adobe bricks to rebuild the walls. We are excited about seeing the beautiful porch being rebuilt. Thanks to Jim Starling, Zion National Park generously donated the wood shingles for the roof. Architect Kim Campbell, with Campbell and Associates, drafted the architectural drawings that will guide the contractors for needed work. Kim will also serve as the project inspector. Don Hartley, Utah Division of State History, was instrumental in helping us identify and prioritize needs and develop a budget for this project - our continued appreciation for his expertise and willingness to assist. Russell Bezette completed repointing stone foundation on the Russell Home and Calvin Johnson constructed a fence to keep cattle away from the schoolhouse and the Russell Home - thanks to both. Church/Schoolhouse: This building renovation project was completed in 2000 by Sun Design. This past summer two different school groups helped dig up the plastic that was placed around the exterior of the building. We had hoped the plastic would provide positive drainage and keep weeds away from the foundation but it retained moisture that wicked up through the adobe bricks and weakened them. Special thanks to all the school kids involved and Jeff Ballard who moved the dirt back up around the schoolhouse after we were finished removing the plastic. Cemetery: Special thanks to the BLM for their support in signing a cooperative management agreement for management of the cemetery that will allow us to move forward on preservation plans. The BLM currently administers the cemetery land. In coordination with BLM, the GHPP will manage, enhance, and maintain the cemetery. In October, Sun Design will replace the old wooden enclosure around the Berry Family headstones with cedar wood. Based on historic photos, we will reintroduce some of the historic features, like decorative pole caps, that have been lost over time. Jack Burns donated a new (old) gate to replace the one that had been stolen: thank you to Calvin Johnson for installing it. A new, more rustic sign has been made to replace the large white one that was recently taken down. Thanks go to Bob Clark, who made the sign, and Jeff and Shirley Ballard who installed it. Future plans for the cemetery include a redesign of the parking area so that part of it can be reduced in size and replanted with native vegetation donated by Zion National Park. Dave Ballard Home/Wood Home/Log Cabin: Private landowners continue to work diligently as part of the GHPP to protect structures located on their land. Jeff and Shirley Ballard are preserving |
