EPA Official: Old Vernon Mill Cleanup Part Of 'Stewardship'

VERNON, CT — A federal environmental official Thursday was pretty straight forward on why it was a good thing for Vernon to officially receive a $650,000 check to help pay for the cleanup and revitalization of the Daniels Mill complex.

"No matter where we are in New England, the land was once occupied by natives who were stewards of the land," said David Cash, the regional administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency. "It's still part of our sacred duty to work toward continuing to steward those lands"

With that, Vernon mayor Daniel Champagne, Economic Development Director Shaun Gately and a host of others welcomed the $650,000 check, issued through the EPA's Brownfield Cleanup and Assessment Grants program.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has said when the grant was first announced n May. that the local "investment" was made possible by the new "Infrastructure Law," the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 1319), which he voted to pass in October 2021. The Infrastructure Law has made available $1.5 billion over five years to help turn eligible brownfield sites across the U.S. into "hubs of economic growth and job creation," Courtney said.

Joining Courtney was U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal from the town's federal lawmaking contingent.

Daniels Mill is a testament to the Victorian Era heyday of the textile mill in Vernon. It sits — in dire need of refurbishing — on East Main Street in the Rockville section of Vernon

The $650,000 comes on the heels of a $2 million state commitment for the cleanup last year.

Champagne said one example of the stewardship is a former factory up the hill from Daniels Mill on Grove Street. The town took over the former rundown factory, cleaned up the land and converted it into a park named after music legend and Rockville native Gene Pitney.

The Amerbelle mill complex in between Daniels and Pitney Park is also on the cleanup ledger.

Workers were seen Thursday beginning the cleanup process at the Daniels Mill site. It is one of the mills town officials have targeted for repurposed housing and commercial space.