BURTON, Ohio — For more than 80 years, it has served as a staple of Geauga County history.
But the next chapter for Century Village in Burton is the one that worries Geauga County Historical Society Treasurer Jim Vinecourt, fearing that without help, this scenic 62-acre property could end up going to the highest bidder as soon as possible next year.
"If we don’t get people aware, and people more interested and people more excited to come back, then we will lose it," he said.
Last year, Vinecourt joined to help fix the financial mess behind the 62-acre property, including 15 liens on the property. He said they have already cleared 5 liens.
"We need roofs and paint and we got behind on that for years and years," Vinecourt said.
The historical village and working farm are highlighted by nearly 30 buildings that were once scattered across the county.
"A lot of different towns and townships from Geauga County brought buildings they were going to destroy and they brought them here to take care of so we can still enjoy them," Vinecourt said.
Now, Century Village is focused on trying to get the money it needs to survive.
That means adding more festivals to bring in more people, asking for more donations, and even trying to convert their train caboose into an Airbnb.
Vinecourt said the ultimate goal is to find 365 people to donate $800 each to help fund daily expenses.
"It takes 800 dollars a day to run this [place]," he said. "If we get the $800/each to take care of the expenses for the year, then all the [money from] festivals, we can put that towards roofs and maintenance toward the buildings."
Vinecourt told News 5 that they're really just looking for a commitment from the community to fund daily operations and added the $800 donations could be spread out over the course of the year, the month, etc.
"I just don’t want to see it go away," Vinecourt said. "I want to make sure it stays here and we’re working to keep it here."
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