STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to restore buildings on some islands in northeast Wisconsin that date back more than a century.
Renovations to the 325-acre Plum Island and the 4-acre Pilot Island could total almost $7 million, WLUK-TV reported.
The buildings on Plum Island are on the National Register of Historic Places. The island is also part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Some of the buildings, which date back to 1896, are extremely damaged, said John Lauber, Historic Preservation Manager. One structure has a completely rotted roof that needs to be rebuilt.
One challenge in the restoration was finding roof tiles to match the Coast Guard red color, Lauber said.
“We spent two months trying to find another source for shingles, and finally found these from a Canadian manufacturer,” he said.
Some of the buildings are in such a state that they may not survive another winter or two, said Hoyt Purinton, a Friends of Plum and Pilot Island board member.
The island has a lot to offer, said Dustan Hoffman, a park ranger with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“From a nature standpoint, we’re in a very unique area being on these islands out off the Door County peninsula. There’s a lot of species that grow out here that do not grow on the mainland,” said Hoffman.
The wildlife service and the Friends of Plum and Pilot Island nonprofit are covering the costs of the renovations. The project could take about five years to complete.
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Information from: WLUK-TV, https://www.fox11online.com
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