ORANGE — The civil and environmental engineering firm that removed debris from the site of a former cereal factory that burned down in 2022 has been tasked with determining potential future uses for the land.
Fuss & O’Neill will conduct further environmental investigation to determine what is feasible for the empty lot at 16-36 West River St. Five buildings, including the vacant cereal factory, were destroyed as a result of an apparent arson by three juveniles on June 4, 2022.
Tim Clinton, a senior project manager with Fuss & O’Neill, said this second phase of work will consist of concept and reuse planning. The firm got the Orange Selectboard’s blessing on May 20, when Clinton provided an update on the site.
“We’ve been helping the town for about two years now. And just to summarize the services we’ve provided, it’s really … to design, help bid out and oversee the removal of the brick pile,” he recounted. “And that material was transported to a waste management facility in upstate New York, which is licensed to accept asbestos debris. We don’t have any landfills like that in Massachusetts.”
Clinton explained that 7,675 tons of asbestos-containing brick, debris and soil were removed from November 2024 to January 2025. Misting and coverings were used for dust control. Clinton said completion reports were submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection in March 2025.
According to Clinton, the site was restored, and backfill was imported and placed behind a foundation wall.
At least 20 fire departments responded to the massive blaze in 2022, which sent embers into the air, with some landing on the vacant former blacksmith shop near 24 East River St. and causing such damage that it had to be demolished. There also was a small brush fire behind the Fire Station at 18 Water St. and a few others throughout town.
The names of the three juvenile suspects — with ages ranging from 12 and 14 at the time — have not been released by authorities due to their age. The three faced criminal charges in connection with the crime.
A Massachusetts Land Court decision transferred the 1.06-acre lot’s ownership from KARMACAN LLC to Orange last year. Police Chief James Sullivan previously said the former cereal factory was built in 1890 and spanned 59,394 square feet — 19,798 square feet on each of its three floors. The town received $3.4 million from the state for cleanup costs.
At the May 20 Selectboard meeting, Clinton said he believes the site is a strong candidate for a deed restriction, which is applied to a property when residual environmental contamination remains after a cleanup. It was mentioned that the site could be a parking lot accommodating 50 to 70 vehicles.
“It’s the town of Orange’s parcel to keep, develop, sell — any and all of the above. It’s really up to the town,” Town Administrator Matthew Fortier said at the meeting. “Right now, we have a little over $300,000 left over from the [$3.4 million] state earmark. The earmark expires at the end of the calendar year.”
He said he is an advocate for monetizing the land’s parking potential.
