WANTED ? Civic organizations, local businesses and private citizens to help preserve an historic Oxford barn to benefit present and future generations. Call Hank at (248) 830-0129.
If Hank Szlenkier was running an ad in the local newspaper it would probably look something like the above.
The caseworker for Oxford Addison Youth Assistance is on a mission to save an historic barn from the wrecking ball, but he can’t do it alone.
Located behind the house at 38 E. Burdick St., is a two-story mortise and tenon carriage barn built sometime in the mid-to-late 19th century. Szlenkier said it’s been estimated the barn was constructed in ?1875 or maybe earlier.? ‘Maybe as far back as the 1840s,? he said.
The barn and house at 38 E. Burdick are currently owned by the Oxford Community Development Authority.
OCDA Director Michelle Bishop said the board has not made any definite decisions as to what to do with the barn. One possibility is demolishing it to make room for the OCDA’s planned expansion of the southeast parking quadrant. However, Bishop said if the barn was to be demolished, it probably wouldn’t happen until next spring when the southeast quadrant construction project is expected to begin.
Szlenkier wants to stop that from happening, but in order to save the historic structure from destruction, he needs to put together a coalition of civic organizations, local businesses and concerned citizens to spearhead the effort.
The OAYA Board of Directors is in ‘full support? of moving the barn, but it ‘can’t and won’t take on the whole project,? he said. Not only is such a project ‘beyond the scope? of Youth Assistance’s ‘primary mission,? which is helping at-risk youth and families, but the fact is the organization doesn’t have the ‘volunteers and resources to do it alone.? Besides, legally OAYA can’t own property, so even if the OCDA were to give it the barn, the group couldn’t accept, according to Szlenkier.
Szlenkier said a larger group consisting of various facets of the community is needed to handle fund-raising for the project; negotiate with the various government entities for not only the barn itself, but a new location; and aid in the moving, reconstruction and fixing up of the barn.
Barnwright Dave Ciolek ? a licensed builder from Williamston, Michigan who specializes in repairing, straightening, converting and relocating historic barns ? assessed the feasibility and cost of moving the barn. Ciolek said it would cost approximately $25,000 (not including the laying of a new foundation) to move it.
Ciolek told Szlenkier he would work with a group of volunteers, both adults and kids, to move it. These volunteers would provide the ‘manpower? to take the barn apart, transport the pieces to the new location, reconstruct it, replace any broken or missing boards, and put on a new tin roof, Szlenkier said.
When reconstructed the barn would increase in height from a two-story to a 2?-story structure, he added.
Although several locations are being examined as possible relocation sites for the barn, including the site of the now-removed DPW quonset huts on Pleasant St., Szlenkier said ideally he would like to see it placed in Scripter Park, near OAYA’s ‘Children’s Community Service Garden,? which provides fresh vegetables to Oxford/Orion FISH and local senior citizens.
Whoever or whatever entity ends up actually owning the barn, should the OCDA decide to donate rather than demolish it (an issue which it has not been voted on to date), Szlenkier said he would like to see it leased to OAYA for 5 or 10 years so it could be used in conjunction with its garden program, bicycle safety and maintenance programs and be used as a meeting place during the summer months. Although ‘a lot is still up in the air,? Szlenkier said he remains ‘pretty optimistic? about the project given the fact the Northeast Oakland Historical Society has ‘endorsed? it and when the idea was presented to the OCDA last fall there were ‘no objections at the time.? ?(The OCDA) didn’t say no. Nothing’s been said one way or the other,? said Szlenkier, adding that donating the barn would be a money-saver for the OCDA because then it wouldn’t have to pay any demolition costs.
Szlenkier stressed that absolutely nothing will happen if a coalition to save the barn is not formed. ‘If we don’t get a large group together, this barn will be destroyed forever and will never be available for future generations to enjoy,? Szlenkier said.
Civic groups, businesses and citizens interested in helping save the barn can contact Hank Szlenkier at (248) 830-0129.