Vernon Receives Funding for Amerbelle Mill Complex

Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is again in case you missed it.

On Tuesday, Mayor Daniel A. Champagne announced that Vernon has received an additional $2 million dollars in Department of Economic and Community Development grant funding to continue remediation work of the greater Amerbelle Mill complex.

Champagne’s announcement comes on the heels of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s statewide announcement on Brownfield grant awards made.

The DECD has awarded $7 million to 12 brownfield redevelopment and assessment projects across the state, including $5.4 million to four remediation and redevelopment projects, and $1.5 million to eight projects for assessment and investigation.

“Remediating and redeveloping these sites helps jump start local economies by rehabilitating areas, putting them back into use for development, and creating jobs for residents,” Malloy said in a statement. “Over the last few years we’ve made historic investments in remediating contaminated properties for redevelopment, and these additional projects further demonstrate our commitment to our cities and towns.”

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“On behalf of the citizens of Vernon, I’d like to thank Gov. Dannel Malloy, DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith, and Deputy Commissioner Tim Sullivan for their support of the Amerbelle remediation project and their ongoing assistance to the town of Vernon,” said Champagne in a statement. “This substantial funding presents the opportunity to continue and complete the remediation work needed that will bring commercial development to the property and our community. The ongoing work at Amerbelle and at adjacent 19 Grove Street demonstrates Vernon’s commitment to the environmental cleanup of our mills and reclaiming these historic structures for 21st century redevelopment, and ultimately, the return of these properties to our tax rolls.”

Vernon’s project application was one of four chosen by DECD for the remediation and redevelopment of the Amerbelle Mill and Daniels Mill in the heart of the downtown Rockville historic district, for their potential of significant commercial development.

These funds are in addition to the $2.5 million awarded by DECD in 2014 for assorted Brownfield funding to assess several former mill sites, including the former Hockanum Mill, Amerbelle Mill, and Daniels Mill in Rockville.