Mayor, councillor worried about damage to historic Killaloe mill after spring flooding
'It's part of our history … if it goes, it's going to leave a hole in the community.'
A historic mill building south of downtown Killaloe has flooded, leading to concerns the building may be damaged and in trouble.
Janice Visneskie-Moore, the mayor of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township, said water from an overflowing Brennan's Creek was spotted running through the bottom part of the building on Tuesday.
She said the township called a building inspector who confirmed the dam next to the mill building wasn't damaged but there was some risk to the mill itself.
"The rushing water was going right through the whole building so he was fearful we could lose the building," Visneskie-Moore said, adding the township hasn't had an update since.
"It's a beautiful old piece of history. It's sad [if] that would happen to it," the mayor said.
Former flour mill recently generated electricity
Township councillor Ted Browne said the mill has been around since the 1870s, when it was a flour mill in what's now known as Old Killaloe — the original village before people moved north to be closer to a then-new railway station.
"Everybody in town is watching it closely, there's a lot of traffic up there. Everybody's concerned about it," he said.
The township is doing everything we can. Hopefully everything works out.- Ted Browne
"It's part of our history … if it goes, it's going to leave a hole in the community."
Browne said the building was recently producing power for the provincial grid but isn't being used for anything right now.
"The township is doing everything we can. Hopefully everything works out," he said.
"It did do this last year as well, just not quite as bad … I guess we have to wait when the water goes down exactly what the damage is and what our next steps will be."
The building's owner couldn't be reached for comment.
