COOLEEMEE – “If Cooleemee wants to survive, it needs its own economic engine.”
Those are the words of Mayor Lynn Rumley, who thinks the building that housed the cotton mill that built the town is that economic engine.
“The redevelopment of this old cotton mill is our best prospect but it’s going to take everyone putting their ideas in the pot,” she said.
That process that will begin in earnest on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 2-4 p.m. inside the historic mill. At the Mill Open House visitors will see exhibits about the days of mill work, photos of the Saxapahaw Rivermill project and displays from the elementary school’s fourth and fifth graders. Hot coffee, hot cider and cookies will be plentiful.
Although the Mill Open House will be held in the new “Burlington” addition, every so often there will be a guided tour of the old first floor section, courtesy of Stokes County Yarn Company staff.
Many local people have expressed interest in going inside the old mill. Their parents or grandparents may have worked there. Or, they just cannot imagine its future potential without taking a look.
“Although this is a 10-year project, the first phase of construction could begin as early as 2014,” says Rumley.
There will be plenty of parking outside the mill gate on Main …