WILLOW CREEK — A nonprofit group of retired loggers and local historians has proposed a $1.2 million interpretive center on a portion of the former Willow Creek Custom Flooring mill property, designed to tell the story of the region’s logging and lumber heritage for a new generation of visitors.
The Willow Creek Heritage Society presented its plan to the select board on Sept. 6, proposing a 4,000-square-foot facility featuring reconstructed camp bunkhouses, a blacksmith shop, and interactive exhibits on river driving and chainsaw technology.
Stu Peller, general manager of Willow Creek Custom Flooring, has agreed to donate two acres of the mill site and a 1940s-era Lombard log hauler for display.
“People come here to paddle the river and ride the trails,” said Heritage Society president George Fontaine, 72, a retired logger. “They ought to know what this river meant to the men who drove logs down it for 150 years.”
The center’s estimated annual operating budget is $180,000, supported by admission fees, merchandise sales, and grant funding. The group has already raised $340,000 in private pledges and is applying for a Save America’s Treasures grant.
Selectwoman Eleanor Vance voiced cautious support, noting that the town could contribute in-kind services but not direct funds. “This is exactly the kind of attraction that extends visitor stays,” she said.
A feasibility study and architectural renderings are expected by spring 2023. The center could break ground in 2024 if fundraising targets are met.