Cleanup Of Trail Left Behind By Former Paint Company Underway At Daniel's Mill In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Work has begun on the Daniel's Mill site in the Downtown Rockville section of Vernon to abate the remnants of a former paint manufacturer that was housed there.

It's part of a statewide remediation program for old mill sites bolstered by $4.5 million grant sourced by both Hartford and Washington.

Vernon Director of Development Services Shaun Gately said it was common in the 1950s into the 1970s for lead-based paint to contain PCBs. And the company, he said, made flame-retardant paint that has left traces of them "all over the place."

He said beams must be replaced, along with flooring, etcetera.

It's basically a rebuild, Gately said.

Work began Thursday. The contract was awarded to Ellington-based Bestech Inc. via the bidding process.

The ultimate plan is to turn the old mill site into a mixed use property that features 215 residential units and five, 10,000-square-foot commercial spaces.

Cleanup efforts could take upwards of a year to complete, town officials said.

Daniel’s Mill is located at 98 East Main S. in the Rockville section of Vernon. It is a historic mill building originally constructed in 1865 amid Rockville’s booming industrial era along the Hockanum River.