U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney of Vernon stopped by the Vernon mill redevelopment project Monday to speak with Town Administrator John Kleinhans, Director of Development Services Shaun Gately and Jim Newbury, the owner of Bestech of Ellington, which is performing cleanup work in the Daniels Mill portion of the project.
Congressman Courtney obtained a $250,000 federal grant to help fund the continuing cleanup.
The town has received several state and federal grants for the project, but more is needed to complete the cleanup and other parts of the redevelopment project.
“For the community of Vernon and the Rockville section, this property is really important because it is the gateway for people coming into Vernon,” Congressman Courtney said. “When you flip a brownfield it is transformational. The grant we were able to get is going to provide $250,000 to continue the process of cleanup.
The project will provide housing for working people, Kleinhans said. The project includes about 215 work force apartments and retail, which could be used for a restaurant, coffee shop or brewpub.
“We’re excited for the future,” Kleinhans said. “There’s a lot of potential here. We had a stakeholder meeting a couple of weeks ago. A lot of residents came to voice their support for this project. We thank the congressman for his support, Mayor Dan Champagne for his leadership and vision, and all of our community partners. The future of downtown Rockville looks bright.”
It’s a slow, complicated process, but every day the project is taking steps forward. It’s also critically important to Vernon and Rockville, Gately said.
“If you just try to look at the skyline and picture it without the mills, it wouldn’t be the same place,” Gately said.
All highlighted the spectacular waterfalls on the property, the mill pond and how those features will make the project an exciting place to live.
PHOTO CAPTION: Congressman Joe Courtney, left, speaks with, left to right, Vernon Director of Development Services Shaun Gately, Bestech owner Jim Newbury and Town Administrator John Kleinhans.