Armed with $8 million in aid from Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration, town leaders are looking to the day when earthmovers and dump trucks will begin clearing the wreckage of a burned, abandoned mill that’s been stood as a derelict eyesore for two generations.

Restoring the InterRoyal mill property in Plainfield is more than another brownfield cleanup, they say, because the 16-acre site could become the heart of an energetic, thriving town center that Plainfield has never had.

“From the Chamber’s perspective, this kind of redevelopment is incredibly important not just financially, but for community morale,” said Elle-Jordyn Sherman, executive director of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.

Renditions of how the InterRoyal mill site in Plainfield could look after environmental cleanup and reconstruction. (Courtesy of Town of Plainfield)

“It’s a chance to turn something toxic into something positive. It has the potential to bring more foot traffic and energy into the area, which supports our local businesses,” Sherman said. “I see it as a major opportunity for Plainfield.”

First Selectman Kevin Cunningham agreed.

“Just the cleanup alone is a wonderful morale boost. Since this site has been dormant and neglected, it’s also a safety hazard for the area. I can see that post-cleanup, this project coming forward in phases and helping the town for revenue, jobs and morale,” he said.

The mill had been one of Plainfield’s chief economic engines for nearly 80 years, employing hundreds of workers producing cotton textiles and, later, office furniture. In the mid-1980s, InterRoyal shut down operations, which proved to be a devastating blow to the town.

The company leased parts of the complex to a recycling business and other small operations, but with nowhere near the previous employment level. The mill began falling into disrepair and, in 1995, the company abandoned it altogether. The property, heavily contaminated with asbestos along with PCBs and other chemicals from decades of heavy industrial manufacturing, became a hazard.

Renditions of how the InterRoyal mill site in Plainfield could look after environmental cleanup and reconstruction. (Courtesy of Town of Plainfield)

In 2000, Michael Saad, a former selectman and the town’s economic development director at the time, ordered the demolition of part of the old mill without following environmental protection rules. He knew of extensive asbestos contamination, according the the Environmental Protection Agency, which said and he and Vermont contractor Edward Carroll didn’t prevent release of fibers that could be inhaled by workers and the public.

The EPA charged both men criminally; each was sentenced to probation and fines in 2004.

In 2005, a spectacular blaze in the complex drews scores of firefighters from the region and gutted the three-story manufacturing building. Accounts at the time said flames could be seen for miles, and neighbors were evacuated because of the concentration of burning hazardous materials.

The former InterRoyal Mill. Photo by D. Coffey.

Federal and state environmental agencies were so concerned that they demolished sections of the wreckage to prevent risk of further contamination.

The InterRoyal Mill site has been abandoned for decades. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant)

“As someone who grew up in Plainfield and was actually a student at Plainfield Central School when the InterRoyal site fire happened, I remember how disruptive and scary it was,” Sherman recalled.

“I had family members displaced from their homes and we even missed days of school because of it. It continues to be a hazard and seeing progress toward cleanup and potential revitalization means a lot, both personally and professionally.”

The property has been fenced off ever since, but trespassers never stopped getting in. Aerial views from Google maps show blackened, burned ruins stretching a quarter-mile.

Town leaders, state officials and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney spent years trying to secure environmental remediation funding, and this spring the state Bond Commission allocated $8 million. The Providence-based Discovery Group  had put forward a proposal to redevelop the site once it’s cleaned.

“Part of the land will be donated to expand Lion’s Park, while several buildings, including the R&D Building, will be remodeled for businesses like restaurants and retail. This mixed-use project will include rowhouses, a potential sports complex, and spaces for events like farmer’s markets and festivals to enhance Downtown Plainfield,” the company said in a statement.

Lily Pollar paints a mural at the DayBreaks Diner on Railroad Avenue in Planfield. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant)

Economic Development Director Shannon Fagan said that gives Plainfield a chance for something it hasn’t had: A traditional New England town center.

“Plainfield doesn’t really have a Main Street. With this, Railroad Avenue could become a great little Main Street,” she said.

Cunningham wants residents to be patient, but is confident that improvements are close.

“While we anticipate a five-to-eight-year window for cleanup, construction and opening, we are enthusiastic about the entire scope of the project for the jobs it generates during construction as well,” he said.

Plainfield Historical Society President Rose Bergeron suggested that Lion’s Park, which is next to town hall and alongside the InterRoyal site, could add a small memorial to mill workers as a centerpiece.

“There are second- and third-generation families that live in the mill workers’ houses. The history of the mill is very essential, this is our ancestry,” she said.

Rufi Yang at his Plainfield restaurant, Joyful House. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant)

Artist Lily Pollard, 25, grew up in Plainfield, and is excited about the possibility of a more lively, thriving Railroad Avenue. This week she was painting a mural on the DayBreak Diner, which would be in the heart of any new commercial center there.

“That would give people a reason to come down here, it would make more of a hub for people. There’s no real town center to go to for things,” Pollard said. “Usually I’d go to Danielson or Norwich, and I drive to Willimantic regularly.”

InterRoyal Mill Site Bob MacDonnell/The Hartford Courant file photo

At the nearby Joyful House restaurant, co-owner Rufi Yang just opened the dining room this past week. The previous owner had kept it closed since the pandemic; Yang moved from Brooklyn, N.Y. to buy the restaurant and build business.

He said revitalizing the InterRoyal site would be a huge boost for the town, especially if apartments were part of the redevelopment mix.

“When I moved here I had a struggle getting somewhere to live, there are barely any apartments for rent in the area,” he said. “So if that (property) could be apartments or a small shopping center, that would be perfect. And it would build the town. This isn’t too far from Rhode Island; there are lot of people there thinking of moving to Connecticut. I told them it’s beautiful here.”