What happened to Copper & Brass water cleaning plant?

Did you know Ansonia Copper & Brass of Ansonia had a working, filtered water pollution plant on its North End Salvage Area? As a friend of the operator, I can vouch for the clean water we sent back into the river. I was given the job of repairing the treatment plant machinery a few times during my tenure at AC&B. Repairs were generally needed due to the lack of enough water in the mix, which put a strain on the ring gear. The operator did the best he could with the time and attention allowed by the company. All moving machinery requires relatively constant review in order to provide consistent, operational efficiency.

So to ask the question, did Ray McGee (formerly of AC&B) care to offer this water cleaning plant to a new owner or what? Does it now sit idle, getting rusted, and breaking down? Or is it too much to ask of the man with the “gold mine” he said he had in AC&B? These were the words he spoke when he addressed a group of ESOP owners who paid off a $30 million mortgage in just 10 years. He said, “You guys got a gold mine here.” Well here we are at 2017 — dead in the water.

I hope the mayor of Ansonia has the right perspective in mind and can gain a little knowledge of his “state of the art pollution control unit” now operating in the North End of the city’s service area. I hope the vast area hasn’t been demolished for “rehab,” as the plant used this back end of the property to store used machinery and parts. It was a five-minute walk from the machine shop to the treatment plant to see what needed repair.

McGee, former owner and president of the now defunct Ansonia Copper & Brass — Ansonia Division (as well as former CEO of the Gold & Silver Co. of New Jersey), came to the Valley to rejuvenate the business of copper and brass manufacturing. Well again, here we are at 2017 — dead in the water. — Andrew M. Yezik Ansonia