Now that $2.65 million from a key bond act will soon be heading Roslyn's way, what will be the next step for the Grist Mill renovation project?

The renovation project has been a top priority for Roslyn Village officials for over a year. Still, Dr. George Williams, member of the 1701 Grist Mill Committee, said any completion of the entire project will take several years.

Last Friday, prominent Nassau County officials, including Supervisor Tom Gulotta and Bruce Blakeman, presiding officer of the county legislature, toured the site along with Roslyn officials and other mill supporters. That tour involved a visit to the interior of the over 300-year old structure, where Dr. Williams acknowledged, "a great deal of work needs to be done."

According to Dr. Williams, the foundation of the entire mill will have to be lifted to the same level of the road in order to protect it from the water. That, along with some exterior renovations, is a top priority. Renovations workers hope to restore the wheel so that the mill may function, at least to some extent, as it did for over two centuries.

The first phase of the renovation process has been simply to stabilize the building. With that completed, the next step is to prepare the building for a new outer covering.

While money from the bond act is essential, the village has already secured a $50,000 grant from State Senator Michael Balboni to research the wheel and see if it is possible to have it operating correctly.

"What happens [after that] is a matter of conjuncture," Dr. Williams said.

Throughout much of this century, the Grist Mill stayed in operation as a popular Tea House that attracted both common citizens and movie and literary celebrities alike. Committee members, Dr. Williams said, have their own ideas of what a renovated Grist Mill should become. Some want to open it as an informational center so people can see how the mill operates.

The most important thing, Dr. Williams said, is to have the mill "restored historically and accurately," adding that the renovation has to be "done with the idea we are restoring a building that dates back to 1701."