The windmill at Brownwood Paddock Square must be demolished before Hurricane Season because it has been declared a safety hazard.
The decorative windmill and water tower at the square have suffered significant rot. Hurricane Season will begin June 1 and if high winds hit the windmill, there are fears it could come tumbling down.
The Project Wide Advisory Committee will be asked to consider an emergency budget resolution to fund the demolition and restoration of the windmill and the water tower, which have no useful function and are purely decorative.
The amount of the demolition and restoration of the windmill and water tower is estimated at $225,000. The money would come from maintenance assessment fees paid by residents of The Villages living south of County Road 466.
Both structures are about a decade old.
“After years of weather, humidity, sun and water exposure, they have developed extensive rot and decay. Each structure displays significant rotting that has impacted the structural integrity of the system. As a result, both structures will require column splicing in the lower bay, to remove the rotten timbers. Additionally, approximately 60 percent of all cross-bracing for the water tower structure and 90 percent of cross-bracing for the windmill structure will need to be replaced. The spliced connections located on the windmill structure showed significant wood rot which compromises the structure’s capacity. All the spliced connections will require replacement,” Director of Property Management Bruce Brown wrote in a memo to PWAC members.
The windmill has been determined to be a safety hazard and must be disassembled and removed prior to the commencement of Hurricane Season, Brown said in the memo.
“Both structures will be rebuilt and reinstalled with pressure treated wood. Due to the overall condition of both structures, it is more cost effective to demo, reconstruct and reinstall both structures,” he said.
The Villages Design Division, which is headed by Tracy Morse, has already approved the project, Brown said in the memo.
This is not the first time rotting wood at Brownwood has created an expense for PWAC. In 2019, PWAC approved the expenditure of $63,500 to replace rotting wood at the entryway to Brownwood Paddock Square.
