Nearly 40 years after a brass mill shut down on the banks of the West Aspetuck River, the long-vacant industrial property in New Milford is finally being lined up for a new purpose, one that could turn a contaminated brownfield into a working municipal campus and, eventually, help create new public riverfront space elsewhere in town.
uncertain
that → shut → town
The first step is surprisingly small: a three-story fire-training tower assembled from five repurposed shipping containers.
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step → assemble → containers
The tower is proposed for the former Century Brass Mill property on Scovill Street, where the town plans to eventually build a 60,000-square-foot public works complex.
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town → propose → complex
The latest plans were reported by the News-Times and CT Insider, while New Milford’s 2026-27 budget confirms that the Century Brass project remains an active municipal priority.
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project → report → Times
The mill closed in 1986, leaving behind a large industrial property that would spend decades caught between environmental cleanup, demolition and redevelopment efforts.
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that → close → efforts
The site was contaminated with substances including PCBs and asbestos.
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site → contaminate → PCBs
After the town acquired the property through foreclosure in 1999, plans to clear the former mill became entangled in a legal dispute with a demolition contractor.
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plans → acquire → contractor
That dispute ultimately went to court.
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dispute → go → court
In 2019, a Connecticut judge ruled in New Milford’s favor and awarded the town nearly $490,000 after finding that the contractor had breached its demolition contract.
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contractor → rule → contract
The state’s Appellate Court later upheld the town’s victory and sent the question of additional damages back for further consideration.
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Court → uphold → consideration
The industrial buildings are now gone.
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buildings → go → ?
What remains is a mostly vacant 66-acre property, with only a portion considered suitable for development.
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portion → remain → development
The town’s long-term plan is to move its public works operations from Young’s Field Road to the former brass mill property.
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plan → move → property
The proposed campus would bring the engineering, highway and facilities departments together, while also providing space for fleet maintenance, indoor storage for vehicles and equipment and a helipad with a garage.
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campus → propose → garage
Because wetlands and other environmental constraints limit the developable portion of the property, the town expects much of the site to remain natural.
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much → limit → site
Firefighters would use the structure for smoke-filled training exercises, giving the town a practical facility while work toward the larger campus continues.
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work → use → campus
The proposal still requires consideration by New Milford’s Zoning Commission.
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proposal → require → Commission
The cleanup is not quite the end of the story
The redevelopment also shows how complicated the afterlife of an industrial property can be.
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afterlife → show → property
New Milford has continued allocating money to the Century Brass project.
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Milford → continue → project
The town’s 2026-27 budget includes funding for environmental work at the site, underscoring that redevelopment is taking place alongside the continuing obligations associated with the property’s industrial past.
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redevelopment → include → past
For a community that once watched the brass mill dominate this stretch of town, the eventual transformation could be significant: an abandoned factory site becoming a place where municipal crews maintain roads, equipment and public infrastructure.
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crews → watch → roads
But the plan reaches beyond the former mill property.
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plan → reach → property
A riverside park could follow
Moving public works away from Young’s Field Road would free up the town’s existing materials-storage yard along the Housatonic River.
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Moving → follow → River
The town envisions restoring that property and turning it into a small public park, with native vegetation and opportunities for passive recreation.
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town → envision → recreation
That means the Century Brass redevelopment could ultimately produce two very different outcomes: an old industrial brownfield put back into productive use, and an existing municipal yard converted into green space beside the river.
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redevelopment → mean → river
For New Milford, the transformation is less about erasing the past than finding a new use for land that has been waiting for one for decades.
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that → erase → decades
The Aporia
