WILTON — The Select Board voted unanimously July 21 to hire Sevee & Maher Engineers Inc. for the next phase of reuse planning at the former Forster Mill property.

The $6,900 proposal calls for the firm to compare earlier environmental findings with current state guidelines, consult with brownfields agencies and seek outside technical assistance as the town considers possible future uses for the 81 Depot St. site.

The work represents a new step in Wilton’s long-running effort to determine whether the former industrial property can be redeveloped, what restrictions remain on the site and what additional environmental work may be required before the town seeks a developer.

The mill was demolished in 2019, bringing an end to an historic town landmark where generations of residents worked since 1901. For several years it was the Wilton Woolen Mill, adapting ownership and production several times over the years according to consumer and World War II demand. Between 1960-1985 operations shifted to wood products made by Forster Manufacturing Co., such as croquet sets and snap clothespins.

After Forster Manufacturing closed out its Maine-based operations, Jarden Plastic Solutions moved in, producing plastic cutlery until it opened a new facility in town in 2003. Since then the property sat dormant until its last owner, Adam Mack, attempted to dismantle the mill in 2012. A fire and subsequent discovery of hazardous materials that were not properly handled shut down his effort. By 2015 Wilton officials took steps to foreclose on the property.

Town Manager Maria Greeley told the board that officials have sought a renewed review of the property for years.

“The board has asked, for years, for us to review and to go over” the Forster Mill site, Greeley said.

She said she contacted Jaime L. Madore and Nicholas O. Sabatine, who previously worked for Ransom Consulting and were involved in earlier environmental work at the property. Both now work for Sevee & Maher Engineers.

Greeley said she asked them to prepare a proposal “for the engineering consulting for the reuse planning of the Forster Mill site moving forward.”

The largest section of the contract, $3,600, will be used to compare results from environmental investigations conducted between 2015 and 2017 with Maine’s current remedial action guidelines. Those guidelines were most recently updated in November 2023, according to the proposal.

Sevee & Maher will prepare a summary of its findings and discuss with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection how the property’s current environmental conditions could affect potential reuse.

“The environmental investigations occurred 2015 through 2017, and the guidelines have changed since then,” Greeley said during the meeting.

The proposal notes that a 2020 Maine DEP Certificate of Completion places restrictions on reuse of the property. The site may be used only for industrial or commercial purposes unless the department approves another use.

The consultants will examine whether those restrictions can be modified or removed and whether additional investigation would be needed to reduce or eliminate them.

The contract also allocates $1,000 for consultation with Maine DEP brownfields staff and $500 for consultation with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. Those discussions could help the town identify reuse options, seek brownfields funding and prepare a developer request for proposals.

Another $1,800 will be used to apply for assistance through the University of Connecticut Technical Assistance to Brownfields program. The federally funded program could provide the town with additional reuse planning, review of earlier assessments and cleanup activities, landscape architectural drawings or other technical help at no cost to the town.

Acceptance into the program is not guaranteed.

Sevee & Maher expects to complete its comparison of environmental standards and its consultations with state and regional officials within two weeks after receiving authorization to begin. The UConn application is expected to take up to two months.

If the town is accepted into the UConn program, the additional work would begin in September and be completed by the end of 2026, according to the proposal.

The proposal does not select a developer or commit Wilton to a specific use for the property. Instead, it is intended to clarify the site’s environmental and regulatory limitations before the town decides whether to seek redevelopment proposals.

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