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Date: 4/11/2023
WARREN — The town issued a request for proposal on March 27 for its Wright’s Mill Master Recovery Plan, a redevelopment project of the 600,000-square-foot site that hopes to bring in new businesses and jobs, and at the same time preserve the mill’s historic attributes.
The project is being funded by an Economic Development Administration grant from the Department of Commerce the town received in 2022, Town Administrator James Ferrera said.
“That grant is to provide us with money to conduct and procure the services of licensed professionals to develop a master recovery plan for infrastructure around the Wright’s Mills Complex, located at 85 South St.,” Ferrera said.
Ferrera said that with this grant, there is a match requirement. The town was awarded $280,000 in authorized federal funds, and the town would have to provide a share of $70,000. So, the total for the grant could be up to $350,000, but Ferrera said the town may not have to use entirety. Ferrera describe the grant as an 80/20 split between federal funds and town funding.
Ferrera said, “It is in the town’s interest to get some type of economic development happening at this site. The grant will identify some of the deficiencies in infrastructure around the property, such as roads, water and sewer lines, bridges, broadband, electricity, any utility power needed, and it’s the hope that this will coincide with any economic development happening within the mill site. It is the hope that the grant can identify deficiencies the town can fix on public infrastructure.”
According to Ferrera, the mill closed in 2011-2012 approximately, and at its height employed around 700 people. The mill’s main product was ribbon.
The mill is privately owned by an out-of-state trust from New Hampshire, and within the next month or two will be put on the market, Ferrera said. “It is our hope that a contract can be awarded to a licensed professional within 30 days after the RFP deadline of April 19,” Ferrera said.
“This is the first time the town has received a federal grant of this nature, it is my hope and my goal that once we complete this project successfully we will be eligible to unlock other federal grants,” Ferrera said.