State halts Ponemah Mills site work over contamination concerns

State officials have halted construction at the Ponemah Mills site in Taftville. They are investigating concerns about whether the excavated materials are contaminated. This decision was communicated to city leaders by Uncas Health District Director Patrick McCormack. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) became involved after being informed of potential issues. McCormack noted that he and DEEP officials met with One Key LLC, the developer renovating the site into apartments and amenities. The larger mill has already been transformed, providing housing to tenants. A $40 million project is still underway to create additional apartments and a restaurant. However, One Key was instructed to pause operations because they could not prove what the excavated material was, who removed it, and where it went. There appeared to be ongoing work at the site despite the halt. Officials observed large piles of fill and materials on adjacent properties. A city inspection team also noted that One Key had not secured any permits for storing material at nearby locations. During a recent city planning meeting, it was proposed to delay One Key’s request for site plan modifications until the DEEP investigation is complete. The commission agreed, even though some members felt the issue was unrelated to the site plan changes. DEEP is actively sampling the relocated materials and investigating the site. They confirmed that the investigation may take several days to a week to complete. Concerns have been raised about trucks removing soil from the site to sell it, with reports of contaminated items found in the fill. DEEP has not received requests to reuse any potentially polluted soil from the site.