I enjoyed reading your article about the Roslyn Grist Mill. Ironically, it comes only two weeks after I wrote to the Town of North Hempstead via their online web site about this exact subject. I asked them when or if the mill would ever be restored? And since it has been neglected for so long, could it be restored? I ask this question because, let’s face it, the building itself is no beauty. Would they, the Landmark Society, be better off tearing it down and save whatever pieces they can and incorporate them into the design of a new building? The article mentioned a $500,000 grant and maybe another $250,000 over time to pay for this undertaking. At this point, my feeling is (and I’m not an architect) that the building is in such bad shape that $750,000 is a drop in the bucket. The paddle wheel is gone, pipes re-directing water are visible, the roof is almost gone and wood is rotted everywhere. Plus, there are plans to “stabilize the building and lift it up to street level.” Wow! All that money and effort spent on an ugly building. Yes, it’s historic. And so is the time spent trying to get money to fix it. If it was so important, why has it been vacant and neglected since 1976? That’s almost forty years. It is now an eyesore and, sadly, should be removed. But, if by some miracle, it was restored, what would or could it be used for? Someone would have to put a fortune into it just to bring it up to code. Lastly, if Nassau owns it, I assume no tax revenue is being generated. But who cares since the town charges 25 cents for 15 minutes of parking seven days a week. That’s the highest of any town around here.
My family and I were once in that building shortly before it closed. Not a very pleasant experience. Low ceiling, no windows, no seating, humid and the acrid smell still haunts me. Let’s be real. Remove the building, save the parts, put up a new building (one that retains the architecture of the town and generates income) and for Pete’s sake, get us some parking. But that’s another subject.
Randy Ilowite
