WILTON — After years of pursuing a solution to the partially demolished Forster Manufacturing building, the town now owns it and plans to finish the demolition.

Demolition of the building started in 2011 but stopped after high levels of asbestos were found. Abatement work has been done, but there is still potential for asbestos in the roof and the boiler room.

The town foreclosed on the property in March for $3,300 owed in taxes from 2012, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

Wilton Recycling owner Adam Mack still owes taxes for 2013 and 2014. The three years of unpaid taxes amount to $9,800, she said. 

After the foreclosure, the town was approved for a Maine Department of Environmental Protection Brownfields Program Phase I assessment and Hazardous Building Material Inventory for the site, she told the Board of Selectpersons on Tuesday.

Bids from environmental consultants are due by April 10. Irish expects the assessment to take place in May or June.

The environmental assessments will help the town determine how to follow environmental regulations to take care of the property, she said.

The roof and boiler room were not tested for asbestos when other asbestos abatement work was done. The inventory will tell whether there are still pockets of asbestos or lead around the site and give the town an estimate for abatement and disposal, she said.

The first phase provides a historical summary of the property, the work that’s been done, past use, former owners and any environmental issues that might affect the site. The results could lead to an environmental assessment. If concerns are found, the town could be eligible for additional grant money to assess options for cleanup and costs, she said.

The town should know by fall whether it is eligible to apply for a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant. Whether or not it receives it, and given the steps outlined, Irish did not expect demolition to begin until next summer at the earliest.

Grants often require a purpose for the property, Board of Selectmen Chairman Scott Taylor said.

The board agreed to consider potential uses, including commercial use, a park or a park and ride.

Selectperson Tom Saviello suggested the space would be good for senior housing.

The town will work to close out a lawsuit filed last fall to have the mill declared a dangerous building in order to seek demolition, Irish said. Mediation attempts with Mack failed when he filed for personal bankruptcy.

“We did our best to get him to take care of it,” she said. “It was just the way it ended up. He was not the one to put the asbestos there. He was just the last owner.”

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