II. Peirce Mill Restoration—The Current Status

• Our contractor for the floor work, Historic Structures Inc. (Steve Ortado and crew), have removed floorboards in the southwest quadrant of the main floor and are repairing and re-installing damaged or rotted floor joists. The work follows a detailed plan developed tby our structural engineering consultants, Robert Silman Associates, to deal with rotted joist ends where they enter pockets in the stone foundation wall. The task is complex because the weight of the upper floors has to be lifted section by section in order to be able to remove supporting posts that rest on the floor boards and impede their removal. Work on the remaining three quadrants of the mill floor will be carried out during the latter half of 2007. The total cost of this work is estimated at $50,000.
  
• As reported last year, our contractors for restoration of the milling machinery, O'Rourke & Kiorpes, completed removal of damaged gears and shafts inside the mill, and Rock Creek Park maintenance staff worked with Steve Ortado to remove the damaged water wheel. O'Rourke & Kiorpes are preparing to resume work in the summer of 2007 by installing the new water wheel shaft and bearings. In 2008, they will fabricate and install a new water wheel and new and repaired internal gears and shafts, following engineering drawings prepared by our consulting millwright, Derek Ogden. This work, the most expensive part of the restoration project, will cost in excess of $300,000.
  
• A team of architects and engineers led by Bucher/Borges Group has completed a conceptual design of a pumped water system to power the water wheel. Rock Creek Park officials are currently reviewing the concept. Once any requested changes to the concept are made, Bucher/Borges will proceed to a detailed design and cost estimate of the system. As depicted by photos in the most recent issue of our newsletter, Milling About, it appears possible to make use of parts of an earlier installation that functioned roughly 30 years ago - a pump pit beneath the flume that draws water from the tailrace to recirculate it over the water wheel. Depending on availability of funds, the installation of the system could begin during 2007 and be completed in 2008. Estimated cost is $230,000.
  
• Work being carried out by others, that is, work not funded by the Friends, includes (1) correction of drainage problems at the west side of the mill using funds granted to Rock Creek Park by the DC Department of Transportation, and (2) maintenance costs funded directly by Rock Creek Park, consisting of replacement of the mill roof (completed January 2007), re-pointing of the stone foundation wall at the basement level (completed April 2007),and restoration of windows (on-going).

Our objective is to complete all these work elements by the Fall of 2008 and to have the mill in operation shortly thereafter.

< Previous | Next >

Visit the Mill | History | Restoration | Fact Sheet | Newsletter
Join Us | Links | Contact Us | Home