MONROE — The building owner who was given until Aug. 31 to tear down part of a blighted mill over the Deerfield River has not responded to a Housing Court order, but TransCanada and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments are helping with the money needed to take down the wooden section of the old Ramage paper mill before it falls into the river.
TransCanada has just given Monroe a $30,000 community investment grant to take down the building. Also, a grant of up to $100,000 from the FRCOG Brownfields Clean-up Revolving Loan Fund has been approved as a “subgrant” to the town, to clean up the wood structure, provided the town acquires it.
Now this town of 120 residents is seeking more funding from the state and from the community for the money needed to acquire the wooden structure, remove hazardous waste, and demolish it. The cost of the demolition and hazardous waste removal is estimated to cost $260,000, according to an engineering study by Tighe & Bond last spring.
“Removal of the blighted Ramage Paper Mill is critical for protecting the Deerfield River’s environmental quality and the safety of its many users,” said TransCanada spokesman Matthew Cole. “Monroe’s vitality and character are directly linked to the river … TransCanada sincerely hopes others who visit Monroe to use the river will join us in supporting the town’s proactive approach to remediating this property.”
TransCanada operates the Deerfield No. 5 hydropower dam just upstream from the 19th century paper mill. And directly across from the mill is where kayakers and commercial outdoor recreation companies take advantage of scheduled, recreational whitewater releases. TransCanada has warned that the building collapse would result in serious water pollution that would affect downstream uses, including fishing, kayaking and whitewater rafting.
Since the Tighe & Bond study last spring, “my understanding is that green mill building is deteriorating day by day,” said Cole. “Pieces of clapboard are falling off. It’s in dire straits.”
Regional Health Agent Glen Ayers says there has been some noticeable sagging very recently.
Jeffrey Phillips of Pleasant Valley, Conn., bought the cavernous brick and wooden complex in 1996, but town officials say the building owner has not been responsive to requests to fix the building and has not paid taxes since 1999.