The Hartford Courant
WINDSOR LOCKS —
On a recent winter's day, the only signs of life at the Montgomery mill complex were a set of footprints in the snow, circling one of the burned-out buildings. They might have been left by a developer or investor, but were just as likely made by a vagrant or vandal.
In the 22 years since the wire manufacturer closed its doors, the buildings of the J.R. Montgomery Co. have been ravaged by arsonists, graffiti taggers and scrap-metal thieves. Half the windows are missing, as are the enormous letters that once spelled out "The Montgomery Co. Est. 1871 Decorative and Electric Tinsels."
The town has been trying to foreclose on the property since July 2009 in hopes of recouping hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes and finally transforming the mill from a headache to a catalyst for downtown renewal — a change that may finally come in September, with a planned foreclosure sale on the mill property.
The mill and the train station — the few remnants of the town's once lively Main Street to survive a mid-century redevelopment plan (although the train stop moved) — are now the centerpieces ofWindsor Locks' downtown redevelopment strategy.
Local officials are talking with the state Department of Transportation to find ways to return the station to the downtown area, according to First Selectman Steve Wawruck.
Read the rest of the story here: http://www.courant.com/community/windsor-locks/hc-windsor-locks-montgomery-mill-031320110312,0,7799393,full.story
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