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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Twenty four. A tiny number that made a huge difference in the future of one of the town’s gemstones: Belding Heminway mill.
In June, the town held a tax auction for 94 and 107 Providence Street. The winning bid was $66,409.88 by Eggoman, LLC.
The property is owned by 107 Providence Street Associates, LLC.
The rules allow the owners of the property six months to pay the outstanding taxes. If the taxes are not paid, “redeemed,” the bidder takes ownership of the property.
The six-month mark was Dec. 5.
On Dec. 4, ICB Enterprise Initiative LLC of Woodstock wired $73,678.08 to the town’s tax attorney. ICB Enterprise is the successor to Donat and Muriel Charron who held a mortgage on the property.
After attorney fees and additional water/sewer charges for the property were deducted, the attorney forwarded the balance of $72,386.77 to Eggoman, LLC as a refund of its $66,409.88 bid plus $5,976.89 in interest.
This stopped the clock. The tax auction has now been retroactively cancelled and the account with the town is now current, according to tax attorney Adam J. Cohen of Bridgeport.
The redemption now leaves the owners of the mill with some breathing space.
The town is hopeful that it can be converted into multiple uses. It has been on and off the market and currently has a couple tenant businesses.
According to The Putnam River Mill Heritage & River Trails map history, Belding Mill was originally known as the Powhattan Mill. The brick four-story mill was built by George M. Morse in 1872. “It has “segmental arch” windows with brick sill and Mansard roof with round-headed dormers. Freight doors open to each level in the central hoist tower. Owner Morse ran 20,000 spindles and 416 looms for cotton manufacture here in 1884. Viewed from the bridge, the 115-foot-long, 10-foot-high dam retains much masonry from its original construction, including an arched opening on the west side to drain the pond. The dam provided Powhattan with 15 1/2’ head and 200 horsepower augmented by a steam plant behind the mill. The Belding-Corticelli Thread Company bought Powhattan in 1918 and operated it until its closing. East of the mill, along Powhattan and Mohegan Streets, stand 20 double-entry, wood frame, workers’ dwellings also built in 1872.”
It was the town’s largest employer from 1900 to 1950, according to the Putnam Economic and Community Development office.
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