Mill owner tells council materials were removed and lean‑to demolished without notice, alleges damage

"My name is Tom DeGroon. I currently own the mill," Tom DeGroon told the council during public comment, and described finding a lean-to removed and the mill damaged after nearby dam construction.

DeGroon said materials from a metal lean-to attached to the mill were supposed to be saved but were instead discarded during the dam work; when he checked the property he found the shed contents gone. He said he contacted the trustee and City Hall and was told the structure would be taken down carefully and materials stacked, but that when he returned several days later the lean-to had been demolished with a backhoe. DeGroon said the demolition damaged the mill facade, cracking and impacting lintels under two windows. He said he submitted a bill to the city for the materials and labor to repair the damage.

At the meeting DeGroon and others described the lean-to as roughly 32–33 feet wide by about 16 feet deep and of metal construction. He said he was unable to remove materials himself because he left town for work and that he had expected stewardship from the trustee and city staff. DeGroon said the trustee told him he did not know the contents had been removed.

Council did not take formal action on the complaint during the meeting. City staff and council members discussed the public-comment timing and then moved on to the agenda. No remedy or follow-up deadline was announced while the council proceeded to other agenda items.

DeGroon’s comments were delivered during the public-comment period before the council took up the First Street bridge design and other agenda items.