(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We’re pretty much back to square one.”

Those words from Brenda Applegate summed up the mood of disappointment yesterday in the revelation that the Vicary Mansion in Freedom was denied the Pennsylvania Keystone Grant for renovations. The building built back in 1826 is in need of renovations for its front porch area, but Applegate’s request for $215,000 was denied.

This latest denial has been one in a series of denials regarding the Vicary Mansion. “Brenda and I have reached out to several contractors, we’ve met with them on site, and no one’s providing us,” said Dan Colville, Beaver County’s Public Works Director. “I think it was determined that ‘We kind of know what’s wrong with the building, do you have any contractors that could help us out?'”

Applegate brought the issue to the Beaver County Commissioners on Wednesday, adding that other grants might be of issue as well: “When I was writing the grant, I contacted Community Development to see if there any matching grants. They, at that point, did not have any matching grants.”

“It’s just like everything else,” Colville added. “We’re beating our heads off a concrete wall.”