Cleanup of the Stenton Trust mill on River Street in Sanford, portions of which were gutted by fire on June 23, 2017, is now slated to begin sometime this month, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, with demolition of the rear tower projected to start in March. TAMMY WELLS/Journal Tribune file photo
SANFORD — The timeline for the Environmental Protection Agency to commence cleanup and demolition of the rear tower of the Stenton Trust mill on River Street that burned in June 2017 has again been revised.
In a report to the Sanford City Council in December, Sanford City Manager Steve Buck said the EPA’s onsite coordinator Catherine Young told him that the contractor for the project had changed.
Buck said assuming there are no major weather incidents, asbestos removal in the front tower will begin sometime this month, and contractors scheduled to begin demolition of the rear tower in March.
“The new vendor is readying to secure the site and start remediation on the front tower in January,” Buck told the council in the December briefing.
The rear tower of the River Street mill burned in a massive fire on June 23, 2017. The fire was of such magnitude that it took the resources of 100 firefighters from Sanford and several surrounding departments and 700,000 gallons of water to extinguish.
The timeline for the project was originally projected to start in September, and was then revised to November.
In his report to the City Council, Buck said the structural engineer was still evaluating the shared support wall between the saw-tooth roofed section that separates the front and rear towers. and the ability to demolish the rear tower while leaving the damaged saw-tooth roof intact. Keeping the historic saw-tooth roofed structure is seen as a key in aiding redevelopment.
“The city will actively engage in this assessment as well as discussion with the State Historic Preservation Commission to ensure that the future redevelopment of the mill site will qualify for state historic tax credits,” Buck said. “All developers have emphasized the importance of the Historic Tax Credits to the redevelopment of these large historic mills.”
Air monitoring will be conducted continuously during working hours throughout the demolition process, including air sampling for asbestos, according to information provided by Young.
Young could not be reached for further comment.
The project is expected to take nine to 10 months to complete.
Buck has previously said once the EPA has completed the demolition, the city will use grant funds to identify any remaining environmental impediments and a remediation plan will be developed.
The city and the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council has been working with an unnamed developer who has expressed interest in the front section of the old mill.
The current owner of record is listed as Jonathan Morse of Reno, Nevada, who is listed as the owner of Gateway Properties LLC, the company that bought the mill from the Stenton Trust in 1999. Gateway Properties, LLC, has been defunct for several years; Sanford tax records in May 2018 showed the company was in arrears on property taxes by more than $110,000.
The mill was built in 1922 as part of the Goodall textile empire. Once the mills were sold and later closed in the mid-1950s, portions of the facility were used for various industrial ventures over the years. It has been vacant for nearly a decade.
Three young boys were originally charged with arson in the case; they pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and were each sentenced to one-year of probation.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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