Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Brownfields topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NH COG flags MIRA closure, advances brownfield assessments tied to housing redevelopment
Summary
NH COG told members that MIRA will cease transfer‑station operations on June 30, affecting 11 towns served by the Torrington facility; the COG has two brownfield assessment grants and submitted a 12‑acre area‑wide revitalization proposal covering nine sites in Winstead.
Rista (NH COG staff) told the committee that MIRA—the operator that currently handles transfer‑station services for several region towns—will stop operations on June 30. "That impacts 11 of our towns," Rista said, and NH COG staff are working with towns and MIRA in confidential negotiations to explore acquiring the Torrington transfer station and creating a new organization to run it.
Separately, Rista detailed brownfield funding work and housing planning: NH COG secured two assessment grants from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)—one for an affordable‑housing feasibility assessment on Kent Road in Cornwall, and another for adaptive reuse of the former Sun Chief Electric building on Meadow Street in Winstead. The COG has also applied for a DECD area‑wide brownfield revitalization grant for a roughly 12‑acre project area in Winstead that includes nine brownfield sites along the Mad River and former industrial parcels.
Why it matters: The MIRA closure could force rapid operational decisions about where towns will send municipal solid waste and how transfer‑station capacity is managed. Brownfield assessments and an area‑wide plan could unlock redevelopment opportunities for housing and neighborhood rehabilitation, but both outcomes depend on grant awards and later operational decisions.
Next steps: NH COG said negotiations and planning are ongoing; details remain confidential and funding outcomes for the area‑wide brownfield application are pending.
