Rotary-led effort aims to rebuild Oak Harbor’s windmill at Windjammer Park; fundraising and engineering remain

A volunteer team led by members of the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor presented detailed plans to parks staff for rebuilding the town’s historic windmill at Windjammer Park, saying the structure would be a public, rentable gathering space and an interpretive landmark.

The group said it has completed preliminary design work and paid for engineering to date. "It's gonna have an ADA bathroom on the 1st Floor," the project lead said, describing a 32-by-32-foot base and a 53-foot building height; the blade, oriented for appearance rather than operation, would reach roughly 79 feet if vertical. Organizers said they expect the building to hold 20–30 people and to serve as a venue for small events, VIP viewing during fireworks and other civic uses.

Why it matters: organizers framed the windmill as both a heritage symbol and a revenue-generating asset to offset maintenance. The Rotary volunteers said the city originally promised to replace the windmill after the old structure was removed, and they argued a well-built replacement could avoid the cycles of decay the community has seen with other park features.

The project team described engineering and site constraints that must be resolved before building. They said foundation and geotechnical testing (a Geotest firm was named) are pending and will set excavation depth and footing design; speakers warned the chosen location sits in a low area with fill and drainage issues, and that the engineers expect to excavate several feet and then build up the site so the structure will not be undermined by high tides or poor soils. The organizers noted differing views between the engineer and architect on code requirements for the foundation and said the architect is awaiting final engineering to complete the rendering.

The volunteers outlined material choices intended to resist salt-air corrosion: a concrete or traditional stucco exterior, composite decking, and metal- or composite-window systems. They said the blade and mechanical elements will be nonfunctional (static) to avoid the complex structural and maintenance demands of a working wind turbine.

On money and schedule, the organizers reported grants and donations equal to roughly $150,000, brick-sales and similar fundraising of about $48,000, and in-kind commitments from builders and suppliers they estimate at about $200,000. "We're close to 200k," the group said, while noting they still need roughly $100,000 in cash to move to construction. The team described a brick-donor campaign (bricks priced at about $2.50 donation tiers), possible grant matches, and plans for a public groundbreaking once permitting and utilities are committed.

Permitting is not complete. The presenters said the intended placement keeps the structure more than 300 feet from the shoreline, which they said avoids a shoreline variance or Department of Natural Resources review; the next steps are completed foundation engineering, geotechnical testing, then the city permit filing.

Organizers asked the parks staff to help with aesthetics, color choices and community outreach. They proposed working with the city’s art commission and local groups to produce an interpretive display about the original windmill and to align the new structure with the surrounding park features.

The team requested direction and offered to provide renderings, models and fundraising progress updates to the city. They described the project as volunteer-driven and said P & L General Contractors will serve as general contractor with other local firms contributing in kind.

The parks staff did not make a formal decision at the meeting; the presenters said they would proceed with geotechnical tests and finalize engineering before filing for permits. Organizers asked the city for guidance on aesthetic preferences and on any site-specific constraints that would affect the rendering.