The following was reported in The Independent (probably at the end of November 2001).

Council to explore future of historic mill

Cramahe Council will soon pay a visit to the crumbling remains of one of the area's most historic structures, the Christie Mill, in hopes of determinining the site's future.  The request for the visit came from Heritage Cramahe, formerly Cramahe LACAC, following an exploration of the site this past summer.

The Christie Mill, located on the west side of Ontario, Sreet, sounthwest of Colborne, was built around 1800 with the assistance of one of Colborne's founding fathers, entrepreneur Joseph Keeler.  Heritage Cramahe members Roseanne Quinn and Lenna Broatch conducted the summer visit and photographed the remains of the mill.

In their summary of the visit, they indicated the limestone structure is a neglected ruin, which not only is surrounded by an overgrowth of trees and weeds, but has also been used inside and out as a dumping ground.  "There are items such as bicycles, what appears to be the hood of a truck, and all manner of trash inside the walls."

On the site grounds, road signs were discovered, along with the remains of the iron railings from the north side of King Street in Colborne, removed when replaced by stones during the recent downtown reconstruction.

The heritage committee indicated that at present, the ruins could be termed hazardous, but they believe that if the site was cleaned up and the overgrowth cut away from the walls, the result could be a very picturesque setting.

The committee suggest a fence around the walls of the mill could keep the public out of danger and prevent the dumping of refuse.  Designating it under the Ontario Heritage Act would recognize its historical importance and earmark it as a tourist site.  "Attempting to restore or stabilize what is left would be financially prohibitive, but allowing the remains to naturally disintegrate behind fencing would ensure public safety and protect the site from further misuse," the group indicated in its summary.

While agreeing to make a visit, council is approaching the situation cautiously.  "This visit would be to see it, not to make any decisions," declared Reeve Jim Williams.  Heritage Cramahe's Council representative Ray Kelly responded that the visit will help council eventually "to make a decision, is something going to be done to it or not, then it will be put to rest."