Somers Beautifying Mill Area, Finding Funds

Approximately six weeks after the , not a whole lot looks like it has changed.

Somers First Selectwoman Lisa Pellegrini said that they’re in “wait and see” pattern because the town does not own the mill. The current owner of the mill could clean it up, but has not. The new owners – who purchased it at the – would take over in March 2013 and cannot touch it until it is in their possession.

According to Pellegrini, the town has talked to a representative of the new owner, Venture Capitals in New York City, and they do intend to clean up the site if or when they take possession of it.

The town has done some work over there, moving a sewer line that went right through the mill complex, finishing work on the mill pond area, and doing improvements to the road and bridge, “in anticipation that eventually that area will be cleaned up.”

“There are still two parties and have to wait and see what’s happening with them and then we’ll take a look at our options after that,” Pellegrini said. “The perfect scenario would be to have an owner that’s willing to work with the town and works together to make that an economically viable area. And to make it a really beautiful area because it has the potential.”

According to Lt. J. Paul Vance from the Connecticut State Police, the investigation is still ongoing.

After the fire, Pellegrini said that she started hearing about “Lieberman’s money” and began investigating what that meant. She found that in 2006, Sen. Joe Lieberman made a presentation to the town for a federal transportation earmark in the amount of $2 million. The money was supposed to be for the mill (Maple Street) bridge.

Pellegrini did some research and after being told that the money was no longer available, she received an e-mail saying that it is still available, but for a little less, so the town can still receive $1.98 million.

She found that it is a federal Department of Transportation grant that would be administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and that the town would have to work out an agreement with the department in order to receive the funds.

According to Pellegrini, it’s a long process and by the time all the preparation work is done and construction is ready to begin, it would probably be a year and half, “but it’s good to know we have money for the bridge.”

Pellegrini also found out that in 2006, the town received a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant for $500,000 – administered by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection – now the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection –  to be used for rebuilding the mill bridge. Of that money, only $91,000 was used for an engineering study. Pellegrini is not sure if she will be able to get the rest of this money, but she is trying.

“I’m in the process of trying to resurrect that and we’ll see what they say,” she said. “I could certainly use $409,000.”

Pellegrini also said that there is another $2 million out there, from another organization and also from 2006, that has been on hold for that area as well.

“We’re hoping to get $4.4 million to really settle that area,” she said.

Pellegrini said that nothing was ever done with any of this money and it was forgotten and that it’s “atrocious,” but that they’re back on track and looking to the future.

“We’re trying to fix up what the town is responsible for and then we’ll take it from there,” she said. “We’re in the process of resurrecting things but it looks promising.”