>From today's (12-04-06) San Jose Mercury Posted on Mon, Dec. 04, 2006 Old windmill gets a second wind CITY LEADERS FIND NEW HOME FOR STRUCTURE By Neil Gonzales MediaNews Many believed Jeri Joseph-Hover had embarked on a quixotic quest. It was like chasing the wind. In this case, a windmill -- a century-old one that is reminiscent of a more idyllic time in Redwood City. ``They thought I was crazy,'' said Joseph-Hover, a city parks and recreation commissioner. ``But I was going to see it through until the very end.'' She was going to find a home for this windmill, displaced and made obsolete by Redwood City's growth and development. For her and others, saving the structure meant preserving an important piece of the city's past that people have forgotten or don't even know about in this high-tech, digital age. After several years of searching, Joseph-Hover and her supporters feel they have found an appropriate permanent site for the windmill at the historic Union Cemetery along Woodside Road. They hope to install a restored windmill there in May in time for Memorial Day and National Preservation Month. This would end a long, meandering journey for the windmill itself, bringing it back near the spot where it originally towered over what once was farmland and is now a Costco. ``We have a spot,'' said John Edmonds, president of the Historic Union Cemetery Association. ``The windmill needs a place to live.'' Awaiting repairs Right now, the windmill -- its metal blades atop a shingled shack without the tower -- sits along one side of the city public works yard. Built more than 100 years ago, the windmill once rose about 40 feet in the air on the former Solari family farm. It was one of many windmills that dotted an agricultural landscape on the Peninsula, pumping water and irrigating crops. ``When I was a little girl, there were lots of windmills,'' said Jean Cloud, 100, a member of the pioneering Redwood City family who first brought the attention of the Solari windmill to Joseph-Hover. ``That's how people got their water for their garden.'' But progress took down all those windmills over time. The Solari windmill remains as the only one in town with many of its original parts. Nabisco took over the Solari land and its windmill for a while before the food company also left, Joseph-Hover said. At that point, the principal of nearby Garfield School wanted to use the windmill for an agricultural history program and had it moved to the campus. But the principal left, and the program never got going, Joseph-Hover said. Cloud then heard the windmill would be torn down and used for kindling. ``So I got busy,'' she said. Committing to help That's when Cloud asked Park and Recreation commissioners for help. ``I raised my hands and said, `I'll help you!' '' Joseph-Hover said. Her colleagues felt a bit incredulous about that kind of commitment, she said. ``They thought it was a huge undertaking.'' But they and others eventually came around to support the windmill project, she said. The city put in about $30,000 a few years ago. The effort is seeking to raise another $30,000 to help build a new tower and move the windmill to the cemetery, where the public can once again see the blades turning high above ground. Later, the windmill could be home to a museum with photos and exhibits, teaching students about the city's agricultural heritage, Joseph-Hover said. ``The whole thing is to bring it back to the community,'' city planner Charles Jany said. Michael Bursak, city Historic Resources Advisory Committee member, said he would love to see that happen. ``I remember having my kids in the car, driving down Woodside Road, and saying, `Look at the windmill! Look at the windmill!' '' Bursak said. ``It will soon blow in the wind and go around again.'' George --------------------------------- Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! Answers and get answers from real people who know.