ERVING — The repurposing of the former International Paper Mill has been delayed by the coronavirus, as the work that the town had planned for this spring is temporarily banned by the state’s emergency restrictions on business.
Erving had planned to publicize a request for proposals to redevelop the property later this year, and had planned to remove asbestos and other hazardous materials this spring, said Administrative Coordinator Bryan Smith.
But, with the state having banned non-essential business in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Erving’s contract for hazardous material removal has been put on hold indefinitely.
The mill has been empty since 2001, Smith explained. The town took ownership of it in 2014 for back taxes, with the intention of somehow getting it back into the private sector and on the town’s tax rolls.
The town’s goal for the property now is for it to be repurposed for light industrial use, Smith said. A study done in 2017 reviews options for demolishing certain buildings and preserving others.
The town had planned to put out a request for proposals, which would give the town some choice among different companies’ options for redeveloping the property, Smith said. The request was expected to go out in the second half of 2020.
In preparation, hazardous material removal was scheduled for this spring, to be finished by June 30. Even if some of the buildings are ultimately demolished, the presence of hazardous materials will make a difference, Smith said.
“That is a huge step in getting this property ready for a future developer,” Smith said.
In the first week of March, the Selectboard signed a $190,000 contract with Air Quality Experts, an asbestos abatement company based in Atkinson, N.H.
But, within two weeks, as the spread of the coronavirus became a serious concern throughout most of the United States, Massachusetts began restricting business and public gatherings in an effort to limit the spread.
This hazardous materials removal is not permitted under the current rules, Smith said. So, the project is on hold for now. The effect this delay will ultimately have on the timeline of the larger rehabilitation is not clear yet.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.