Officials in Valdese are trying a different strategy to come up with money to repair an iconic structure that was damaged during a storm.
The town and the Historic Valdese Foundation are using a crowdfunding campaign to raise at least $25,000 to help restore the Meytre Grist Mill at McGalliard Falls Park.
The damage to the mill is estimated at $30,000 to $40,000, said Seth Eckard, Valdese town manager.
The town owns the mill, which was rebuilt in the early 1980s by the Valdese American Legion, and the park, he said.
The Meytre Grist Mill was originally built in 1906 by Fred Meytre. A flood in 1916 destroyed the original water wheel and the mill then changed to turbine power, according to information from the town.
The mill closed in the early 1940s but was rebuilt when McGalliard Falls Park was created in 1982, the information says.