The steel removal process will be taking place at the Century Brass property in New Milford.  The removal of the steel will come at a cost to the town.  The Town Council and Board of Finance approved repurposing some of the Surplus Funds from this year's Town Side of the Budget to pay for the steel  removal.  Mayor Pete Bass says that means they don't have to go back to the taxpayers for additional funding. 

Steel removal is part of the State approved plan to access grant funding to remediate the property at less of a cost to the taxpayer.  New Milford Department of Public Works Director Jack Healy says the contractor, U.S. Ecology, will remove the PCB-contaminated steel to a licensed landfill in Michigan.  It's one of the biggest disposal companies in the country. 

They'll put a membrane down and then a work pad, sifting the steel into smaller pieces for removal. 

The end goal is to turn part of the 50 acre site into a new public works facility.  Bass says this is a project that will not happen overnight, but must be thoughtfully planned out and approved.  There's been discussion of a solar array, walking trail and other mixed use development. At one point the building was leased to someone for storage.