Lin established the Kio-A-Thau Culture Society at that time (" Kio-a-thau "is the Taiwanese pronunciation of Chiatou). His goals were twofold: First, he hoped that the organization would be able to draw the government into discussion of the plan. He also wanted to establish contacts with the county government in hopes of getting the mill preserved as a heritage site.
此時，林敬堯發起成立了「橋仔頭文史工作室」，一方面向中央傳訊，希望檢討該計畫；另一方面則積極與縣政府連絡，希望能將糖廠劃為古蹟保留。