Old textile mill nears demo date

Demolition work on an abandoned Rhode Island textile mill that needed both asbestos abatement and pest control measures is reportedly poised to start in July.

An online report from the Providence Business News (PBN) says the abandoned facility in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, may start to be dismantled the week of July 11. The news organization cites Woonsocket mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt as its source.

With the asbestos and pest control work finished, demolition followed by redevelopment of the property are poised to get underway, says the mayor.

According to the PBN article, AAA Asbestos Abatement Co. of Johnston, Rhode Island, performed the asbestos and pest abatement work. The demolition contract has been awarded to AAA Asbestos’ sister company AA Wrecking. That firm anticipates completing the demolition work in just 60 days, according to the news service.

In a May cleanup grant application filed by the city of Woonsocket, the city refers to the El Dorado plant as consisting of “four individual and adjacent parcels of land [that] common ownership, history, use and contamination.”

A piece of attached correspondence included in the grant refers to the presence of five underground storage tanks (USTs) on the site as well as a “plume of petroleum-containing soil.”

Regarding redevelopment, the city of Woonsocket indicates “the Dorado property has the most potential to be a catalyst for a signature mixed-use redevelopment consisting of a blend of industrial, commercial, and residential uses,” according to its grant application.