From rubble to reclamation
A bumpy gravel road leads down a steep slope from Route 12 in Preston, across the Providence & Worcester Railroad tracks to a flat clearing at the Thames River bank.
Directly across the river, the Mohegan Sun Casino hotel tower dominates the skyline, the casino parking garages mark the foreground.
On this side of the river, the sprawling 390-acre historic former Norwich Hospital property is under transformation. Decaying buildings, rusted oil tanks and an obsolete powerhouse have been demolished. Overgrown brush has been removed from this roadway, giving new perspective on the beauty and economic and recreational potential of this much neglected former mental illness hospital campus.
A group of Preston volunteers is tackling the monumental task of turning that potential into reality, with a $ 20 million environmental cleanup bill and the worst economy in decades standing in the way.
The former Norwich Hospital property recently was named as the top environmental cleanup project in the entire southeastern Connecticut region in the new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy plan. That placement could bring more attention and $1 million in federal cleanup grants to the property.
“We see it out our windows every day,” Chuck Bunnell, chief of staff for the Mohegan Tribe across the river, said of the rapid progress Preston
Agency oversees cleanup
After watching the campus decay with more than a decade of neglect and failed proposals, Preston residents took a gamble on Feb. 24, 2009, with a 608-to-564 vote to take over ownership of the campus at the gateway to town from two major highways and the Thames River and get it onto the tax rolls. The town created the Preston Redevelopment Agency in May 2009 to oversee its cleanup and redevelopment.
projects for clients large and small. They’re proud to say that Orion Manufacturing is known for its custom commercial work. Nearly all the work is “from scratch” using raw materials.
“We’ve had a variety of clients,” says Russotto. He says the firm did more than $800,000 in sales its first year. He expects the firm’s sales this year could be in excess of $2 million. While it’s experiencing strong growth, Russotto says there are still signs that the economy, now in recovery, has taken its toll on business. He says payments for completed work tend to take longer to reach the firm.
The small manufacturer has worked with the state Department of Economic and Community Development to be part of a new program that gives companies tax credits for hiring workers. It is working with that same agency for funding assistance to buy additional equipment to accommodate its expansion.
Russotto says that he and his partners at Orion Manufacturing remain upbeat about the prospects for their custom woodworking. “I’m more of a positive person,” he says. “It isn’t all that bad. We’re having fun with our business, and we’re able to employ some people. These people have good benefits and they make good wages,” says Russotto.
He’s also upbeat about manufacturing prospects here in Connecticut. Indeed, manufacturers across the state have seen a resurgence as the economy begins to gain strength. And Russotto says Orion’s success does show that “manufacturing can work in Connecticut.” Anthony Cronin is The Day’s business editor.