Since getting a 99-year lease from the Clarkson Community Church, the members of the Clarkson Historical Society (CHS) have been putting in extra effort on their plans to renovate the old Clarkson Schoolhouse.

The John Bero Architectural firm of Rochester has completed a Condition Report Update on the 1850s structure which details what renovation steps have to be taken to save the building. A grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Architecture, Planning and Design fund helped to pay for two thirds of the fee while the Historical Society paid the remaining one third through their ongoing fund raising activities.

The Society's first step to take to save the building is to get a roof on it, members say. Fundraising Committee members Kermit Mercer, Ronn Klein, Don Lage, Bob Fox and Mary and Charles Edwards agree that the building needs a roof and it also needs the underlying structural supports replaced, and the bell tower needs to be supported and put in an upright position.

To raise the necessary funds for the beginnings of the multi-year restoration process, the CHS has put together a brochure which will be mailed out to many area residents asking them to help with Phase One of the project "Raising the Roof." Raise the Roof is a rallying call for getting a new roof on the schoolhouse before the snow flies again this year. The brochure is also available on line at clarksonny.org. under History, for those who would like to see the brochure, and a picture of the Schoolhouse right away.

The Bero report gave a sum total of $46,000 to save the roof and underlying structures and so far the Society has raised $2,525 from within their ranks for the CHS School Fund. A donation in any amount will certainly help to "Save the Schoolhouse" and will be gratefully acknowledged by the Historical Society. The opportunity to save a one-of-a-kind historic building in the town is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed, CHS members say, if the community is committed to honor the town's outstanding architectural heritage.