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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 18, 2004 Lily Glen barn plan has a modern look By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune If a new barn rises at Lily Glen, it won’t look much like the century-old, steep-roofed, wood-framed building that burned in September 2003. Modern construction materials and techniques will shape the new barn, but it will provide much more usable space for horses and riders, said Bill Konantz, chairman of the group that wants to raise a new barn in the meadows near Howard Prairie Lake. A year after the Lily Glen barn burned, volunteers have developed a plan that calls for two structures on the site: a large covered area without walls that would include 30 to 40 livestock stalls, and a small replica of the barn, large enough to shelter a few dozen people inside its walls. A campaign to rebuild the barn surfaced soon after it burned, but with time people started to realize the old barn would be impossible to replace. Much of the building’s charm lay in its history, Konantz said, noting that the interior space was largely unusable. "We could rebuild it," he said, "but we could never replace it. You could never put it back the way it was." Advertisement The 100-by-60-foot barn, named after wildflowers that bloom in surrounding meadows, was a landmark and a popular destination for equestrians. Jackson County managed the area around the barn as a park, but the land and the building belonged to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which built Howard Prairie Reservoir. Firefighters never determined the cause of the fire that burned the barn to the ground Sept. 7, 2003. Investigators speculated that an abandoned campfire, or a carelessly tossed cigarette, ignited the building. Friends of the barn first met a year ago to hatch a plan. Since then, more than 400 people responded to a survey about what should be included in the project. The replica of the barn would look "as close as we can get it" to the original structure, Konantz said, but be built with fireproof materials. He estimated the cost of the two buildings at around $100,000, but cautioned that that figure was still a rough estimate. Friends of the barn are now forming a nonprofit organization to seek construction grants. Some money could be available from the insurance on the building, but Jackson County’s policy on the structure requires new construction to begin within two years from the date of the fire. Whether the barn replica would be eligible for insurance compensation hasn’t been determined, said Randy Hutton, Jackson County’s parks program manager. Hutton said county officials are waiting to see a proposal from the barn supporters. "They’re going to have to show some strong movement (toward building) if they want insurance (money)," Hutton said. "If not, they’ll have to go it alone. "Anything they do would also have to be approved by the Bureau of Reclamation," he noted. "It’s on their property." On the Web: www.lilyglenbarn.org/ Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities