Buck-Taylor Applauds State Funding for New Milford Industrial Site
April 3, 2014HARTFORD — The effort to demolish and clean up the dilapidated Century Brass mill site, a crucial step toward marketing the property to private developers, will get a major boost through $2.5 million in state funding that’s expected to be approved Friday, state Rep. Cecilia Buck-Taylor said today.
The Century Enterprise Center has benefited from a multi-million dollar federal and state environmental assessment and cleanup, but the property still includes a vacant brass mill contaminated with asbestos and PCB. It must be torn down and disposed of before the town can move forward with redeveloping and marketing the 72-acre property. The project is on the State Bond Commission’s agenda Friday.
Buck-Taylor, a former chairman of New Milford’s Economic Development Commission, credited Mayor Patricia Murphy and local officials whose diligence got the project to this point.
“So often, projects like this seem insurmountable at the start,” said Buck-Taylor, who has toured the old mill. “But the mayor and many others have focused on a vision for the site rather than dwelling on the many hurdles presented. Today, the economic impact this project promises now seems tangible.”
The former Century Brass fabrication mill has been closed since 1986. New Milford obtained it through tax foreclosure in 1999. The Century Enterprise Center represents roughly 15 percent of all industrial zoned land in town, is located less than one mile from U.S. Route 7 and is served by sidings from the Housatonic Railroad. With, federal and state assistance, New Milford has made additional investments totaling $4.4 million in sewer, water and road infrastructure improvements near the property.
When finished, the Century Enterprise Center would allow New Milford to increase its industrial tax base by more than $300,000 per year. With the assistance of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, the town is marketing the property for possible future uses as a distribution center, a large retail complex or as a property for industry.