Monson's plans for development of old Omega mill delayed

March 29, 2023 | Marcella Comerford
mcomerford@thereminder.com

The Omega Mill on Bliss Street in Monson.
Reminder Publishing file photo

MONSON — The town is hoping to acquire the former Omega Metal Processing mill site on Bliss Street and has plans for the property, however the process is still ongoing.

The town has been working with the Pioneer Valley Conservation Commission, which issued an RFQ, or request for qualifications, for an assessment and feasibility study for reuse of the property on Sept. 28, 2022. According to the town Conservation Agent Toni Uliana, there were no responses to the RFQ. It was reissued on March 17, again with no bids.

The property is the site of an old woolen mill, “then the Omega company did electroplating chemical cadmium cyanide there,” Uliana said.

The Environmental Protection Agency did a cleanup in 1989, Uliana said, “bu because of that history nobody wants to touch it because of responsibility for finishing whatever contamination they might find.”
Uliana said the town “would like to take the property for tax titles and reuse, but an environmental assessment is necessary for any additional clean up on-site.”

Uliana said that the town “would like to take the property off of our tax lien and roll back taxes on the property. It would be a great property for the town to gain control of.”

Uliana said the town would like to pursue building senior housing on the site and also use part of the property for a green space for public use if the town can acquire it.

The property is still zoned for industrial and commercial use, but Uliana said there is a need for senior housing and the area also is home to part of Chicopee Brook, which she said “Monson loves,” making it a desirable place for the public to utilize.

As of now, the RFQ is still out for bids, and there is not yet a timeline for the town to take over the property.

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