Nassau County Legislator Ellen Birnbaum (D-Great Neck) said Monday she is committed to obtaining a grant to refurbish the Saddle Rock Grist Mill following a recent walk-through of the historic building.
“The Saddle Rock Grist Mill is in a state of disrepair,” Birnbaum said,
Birnbaum said she is seeking a county grant for the renovation of the Grist Mill, an 18th structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
She said she recently attended a walk-through of the building with members of the Nassau County Executive’s Office, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums.
Birnbaum said she is seeking money from the county to assess the Grist Mill’s current condition, something she hopes to do in the next few months,
“The county is also looking into other sources of grant money which might be available for restorative work,” Birnbaum said in an e-mail.
Charles Schneider, vice president of external affairs for the historical society, said he has been told on two separate occasions that the historic building has significant flood damage that resulted from Hurricane Sandy.
Schneider said the grist mill, which is located inside a small cove leading into Little Neck Bay off Grist Mill Lane, is owned by Nassau County and is under the authority of the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums.
“One should not destroy monuments,” Schneider said. “It is cheaper to maintain them than it is to rebuild.”
Birnbaum said the ultimate goal for the grist mill would be to open it up for classes as well as the general public to visit.
The mill is the oldest continually operating tidal grist mill in the United States, according to the Village of Saddle Rock’s website.
The last private individual to own the Mill was Louise Udall Eldridge, who was elected Mayor of the Village of Saddle Rock after its incorporation, according to the website. Eldridge is reported to have been the first female mayor in the State of New York.
