An area computer company executive's quest to expand his business into the old Hockanum Mill has received a boost from the state.
Or as Mayor George Apel quipped, "Vernon's business development gets a big byte of out the DECD apple."
State and local officials this week announced that Kaplan Mill Works LLC is in line to receive a $2 million loan from the state Department of Economic and Community Development's Brownfield Development Fund.
Kaplan Mill Works is a holding company founded by Ken Kaplan, who owns Kaplan Computers On Route 30/83 near the Manchester-Vernon line.
Kaplan purchased the tax lien on the property several months ago and is in the process of acquiring the property outright. The mill, built around the time the Civil War ended and once a giant in the woolen products industry, is located on West Main Street in Rockville.
Many of the buildings on the property are in disrepair.
Kaplan has said he can develop 100,000 square feet of new commercial space while attempting to preserve the character of the old mill. His target was to initially open up a tech center measuring up to 35,000 square feet and then develop outbuildings to house businesses both independent and some he has an interest in.
Vernon Economic Development Coordinator Shaun Gately said on Thursday there are some businesses eyeing that space.
“The Town of Vernon has had the good fortune to work with Mr. Kaplan for over a year on the reuse of the former Hockanum Mill site,” Mayor George Apel said. “Thanks to the leadership of state Sen. Tony Guglielmo, our administration and Economic Development offices, we were able to quickly connect with the appropriate contacts at DECD and secure these beneficial funds. Mr. Kaplan’s commitment to remediating and renovating this complex is another step towards returning the Rockville section of town into a thriving part of our local economy. We thank Gov. Malloy and the DECD for their consideration of this project, and wish Mr. Kaplan the best in this new venture. As always I invite other local businesses to consider how Vernon can assist them in their business pursuits.”
Gately said residents should not be alarmed at the term "brownfield," because it is used to signify both contaminated land and land that could be contaminated.
He said any remediation "would be consistent with environmental concerns associated with a mill from that era."
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