Windmill could be an asset in future days
MANY people have expressed disappointment to hear that the County Council has no plans to buy and renovate Seatown windmill.
The windmill which local historians believe dates back to 1790 is a landmark building in that part of town.
Over the years there have been a number of proposals to renovate the mill and promote it as a tourist attraction but at a time when the council was keen on the idea they ran up against objections from residents in the locality.
The unfortunate aspect of this is that Dundalk has had a very good record of taking over derelict buildings that have had some historical links with the town and transforming them into very valuable assets to the town.
One has only to look at the former distillery in Roden Place, now one of the finest libraries in the country, or Carrolls old warehouse now the county museum, or indeed the former gaol at the Crescent now the home of the Civil Defence and the county archives.
The former mill in Seatown had the potential to transform that area of the town, and while it may be in private ownership there is a process by which the building can be dedicated to the local authority who would take over liability and the cost of renovation.
According to reports from the Council meeting where the matter was discussed a maximum grant of €200,000 would be available to renovate the mill, but that would not be sufficient to complete the work.
However, there is nothing to stop the council from planning a strategy for undertaking the work, for many in the town will remember that there was little or no money in the council or indeed the country when the former distillery was renovated as a library.