When we received the R.E.A.P. grant for the reconstruction of our restrooms, we knew we would have to gut the area and put in all new plumbing and electrical. We didn't know we would have to fill a cistern!

Eight feet wide and sixteen feet deep, the cistern remains a mystery. The blueprints for this 1928 school building have not surfaced, so we don't know if the cistern had been a part of the high school's water system or if the school had been built over an older existing structure. When a workman felt the ground caving in under him, he was the first to discover the problem of the giant hole in the ground. Work came to a stop, as Library Director and Town Council and Contractor puzzled over what to do. Everything from making it a tourist attraction, to filling it and completing the project was considered with practicality winning the day. How much concrete does it take to fill a cistern? More than you'd want to have to purchase. Nonetheless, filling it with concrete was much cheaper than paying the manpower to move sand and pack it into the monster hole. View a slideshow of the progress of the renovation here and--of course--the finished product is on display and in service!