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Millington woman attempts to pay homage to old mill
3.25.2008
By STEPHANIE JORDAN
Associate Editor
MILLINGTON, Md. — Kent County resident Mary Selles, who owns the old mill in Millington, wants to pay tribute to the building that operated for more than 190 years.
But a local ordinance could stop her.
Selles purchased the old mill about four years ago. The old mill, which was built in the 1760s, shut down its operations in 1954.
When Selles bought the mill, the previous owner gave her a framed 5-pound bag depicting Wheat Heart flour. When she was cleaning upstairs in the mill one day, she found a 50-pound bag that once contained turkey mash.
Selles wants to take these two bags and paint a mural on the side of the old mill, which she said would be an enhancement to the building.
So about six months ago, she applied through the town to have a mural painted on the building.
The town ordinance is unclear about murals; it defines signs and their uses only. Under the current ordinance, the mural would be considered a sign.
There was another debate about murals in Millington last year when one was painted on the building that is home to Up the River Café.
Selles said because of that battle, she made sure that she submitted a very detailed application about the mural she wanted to have created. She said she wanted it to be a “stimulus to redefine the rules.”
“This is an opportunity for them to rewrite the ordinance,” Selles said. “There’s never been a proper ordinance in the town code about murals.”
The town planning commission originally denied Selles’ request to have the murals painted, so she submitted an appeal to the Board of Appeals, which cost her $200.
“Murals are not addressed (in the ordinance),” Selles said. “That’s an inadequacy of their ordinance. I shouldn’t have to pay for it.”
Now the Board of Appeals and the planning commission are working together to rewrite the ordinance.
David Teel, zoning administrator for Millington, said that a decision on Selles’ request is still pending, but that it should be out in the next few months.
The board of appeals has deferred its decision until it meets with the planning commission; the planning commission meets on the last Thursday of the month, but the board of appeals has not scheduled its meeting at this time.
Selles said town officials are afraid that the town will look like a “hodgepodge,” but she said she believes her mural will pay tribute to the old mill and really enhance the building.
“Hopefully they will grant me a special exception,” she said. “I’m going to leave it to their discretion at this point. I don’t want to fight an uphill battle. It’s their town. It’s their mill. I’m the caretaker.”