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FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP -- The Quincy Smelter hasn't been used since 1971, but there's been a lot of work over the past few years to restore and find new uses for the site.

Franklin Township received a $285,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2009, and this summer those funds have been used to make the property safer--removing asbestos from a number of buildings and now beginning repairs to stabilize the reverberatory furnace building where copper was smelted.

"Weather has deteriorated the facility a bit over the years and historically, this site is the last of its type of smelter," says Karl Benda, with the Keweenaw National Historical Park.  "It’s important to the Keweenaw National Historical Park and Franklin Township to preserve the history and provide access to the public."

Miron Construction has employed seven local workers who'll be replacing structural steel throughout the building and metal sheeting on the roof.

Work is expected to finish before winter even though meeting the requirements of historic accuracy makes the project more complicated.

"It was all riveted construction," says field superintendent Jim Storti.  "We’re going with bolted, but we're using a different type of bolt that'll look original, with round heads just like a rivet."

Though most of the HUD funding has now been spent, Senator Levin has already secured an additional million dollars for the site.

The Park Service is currently working with Franklin Township officials to develop a list of priorities to help decide how to spend that money.