Hartford Courant: Thompson’s Steady Mill Redevelopment Process

For years, a group of Thompson residents has been gathering in the Merrill Seney meeting room on the second Friday of each month to discuss the redevelopment of the town’s mills.

The brick monoliths along the French River were once the economic heartbeat of the town. The Mill Sites Redevelopment Advisory Committee would like to see them become vibrant places once again.

To that end, they have researched grants for brownfield cleanup and remediation, spoken with state and federal officials regarding the rules and regulations they must follow, learned about assessment methods, abided by guidelines, brought in stakeholders including owners and developers, and set their sights on revitalizing huge swaths of downtown North Grosvenordale.

Their work has been slow and steady and promising.

The Belding Corticelli Improvement Committee, begun in 2015, got the ball rolling. A $218,000 Brownfield Assessment and Inventory Grant called for surveys, aquifer testing, determining the limits of a 100-year flood plain, as well as locating areas of concern, and developing a marketing plan to attract buyers or developers.

There were issues and complications and road blocks all along the way. But committee members persevered, tackling each one as required.

In 2016, the committee became known as the Mill Sites Redevelopment Committee, with a wider reach. They turned their attentions to River Mill, at 929 Riverside Drive.

In January 2019, the Brownfield Area-wide Redevelopment Grant (BAR) subcommittee was formed under the MSRAC umbrella. A $170,000 BAR grant (matched by a $17,000 match from the River Mill developer) came to Thompson for research and planning for the clean up and revitalization of the area around 929 Riverside Drive.

Engineering students from the University of Connecticut were brought in to review and offer plans to reshape intersections at Routes 12 and 200, Route 12 and Bailey Hill Road, and Route 200 and Bailey Hill Road.

[Related] Thompson Education: By The Numbers »

Each step in the process brought complications and challenges committee members hadn’t anticipated. There were disputes over boundaries. There were soil remediation and water quality testing that needed to be done. Engineers had to consider stormwater infrastructure and how to cap contaminated soil.

The grants brought them into contact and cooperation with state and federal EPA and DEEP officials, the state’s Department of Transportation and Historic Preservation Office. They’ve been communicating with the National Park Service about possible signage. And as always, they are on the lookout for possible sources of funding to improve the Riverside corridor.

First Selectman Ken Beausoleil hopes development of the River Mill at 929 Riverside Drive will begin in 2020. He expects an 8-year buildout with residential and commercial tenants.

“I hope those improvements bring others to town to develop other properties,” he said.

Grants for homeowners to make improvements could come afterward.

The MSRAC plans on creating a dedicated River Mill page on the town’s website, complete with maps and drone video footage of the areas in question. The town will also pursue certification for Sustainable CT, which should help with application for future grants.

“We’ll have more public meetings to keep the public informed,” said MSRAC Chair Janet Blanchette. “We want input on what people want to see happen in town.”

By Denise Coffey For The Hartford Courant
Posted on June 10, 2019

To read the full article, please visit: https://www.courant.com/community/thompson/hc-pk-thompson-20190613-thompsons-steady-mill-redevelopment-process-20190610-wl5fhgnkffc3jofm4avarirdiy-story.html.