Town officials from Middleborough, Mass., are demanding to know why a local businessman leveled the historic Washburn Grain Mill two weeks ago despite his promise to keep at least the first level and two basements of the century-old building intact.
Entrepreneur Daniel Costello says he razed the mill because once dismantling began he determined the building was too deteriorated to preserve.
But town selectmen say they want Costello to explain his move, and have invited him to their meeting at Town Hall tomorrow night to discuss the situation. They say they want to make certain Costello doesn't have similar plans for an historic freight house also on the site.
The 2.5-acre Washburn property was taken by the town in 1998 for nonpayment of taxes. The selectmen awarded Costello, president of Costello Dismantling Co., the site in June 2002 after he promised to preserve at least some sections of the grain mill and replicate the historic structure for his company's headquarters.
Costello also promised to restore the freight house on the site for use as a sawmill and put an addition off the back for storage. He told selectmen last month the grain cribs on the upper levels of the mill would have to be removed for the first floor, basement, and sub-basement to be properly leveled. He had already received permission from the board and the Historical Commission to remove two cement additions and a rotted cupola.
The Historical Commission in mid-December agreed to allow the removal of the grain cribs. Chairwoman Jane Lopes said Costello told her commission that several timbers on the first floor were rotted as well, but he still planned to preserve that level along with the two basements.
But instead of sticking to the plan, Costello demolished the entire building right down to ground level, leaving only the basements intact, Lopes said. Costello then disposed of the 300 tons of debris in the town's landfill without paying any fees, as part of the deal he made in 2002 with the selectmen. Disposal would have otherwise cost him about $20,000.
"I think Mr. Costello has some explaining to do," Selectman Frederick Eayrs said.
"We had put together an RFP [Request For Proposal] specifically designed to find somebody who would save the grain mill, and throughout the entire process, the intent was preservation," Eayrs said. "In my opinion there's no excuse for what he's done."
Eayrs said he believes the board should reconsider its agreement with Costello to give him the property once the demolition is done and his permits for the new building are in place.
Costello said last week that his crew found the first floor of the mill to be unsalvageable once demolition began. "The building was rotted and insect-infested, covered with mold and mildew of all sorts," Costello said.
"As it became exposed, it just started to fall apart. Nobody was more willing to save the building than we were, but its condition was absolutely deplorable."
Lopes said the Historical Commission looked at Costello's proposal for the mill "as something of a restoration."
"When I drove by that Monday afternoon, it didn't look like he was stopping at the first floor," she said. "When I drove by Tuesday morning, I just couldn't believe it. The mill was gone."
The commission is now concerned over the fate of the freight house, which has a hole in the roof that must be closed to limit further deterioration.
"What happens now? Is he going to come back to us saying he can't save the freight house either?" Lopes said.
Costello last week appeared unwilling to repair the freight house while the property remained under the town's ownership.
"It's their roof," he said. "I went this far and had offered to do the work before I actually took possession of the property. I'm not too terribly inclined to do any more before I do take possession."
Costello recently purchased the Hell's Blazes Tavern property on Route 28 in South Middleborough, making officials even more uneasy about his commitment to relocate his headquarters to the Washburn site. Costello said he plans to move some of his business to the Washburn site and other components of it to the Hell's Blazes property. "One has nothing to do with the other," Costello said. "I plan to use both facilities for completely different purposes."
Eayrs said the demolition of the grain mill has left him wondering whether the selectmen are turning the historic site over to the right person.
Selectmen chairman Wayne Perkins said the board has asked for a legal opinion on what it can do about Costello, either to get out of the current agreement to turn over the property or to levy any kind of penalty against him for completely demolishing the mill without the permission. Perkins expects to know what the board's options are by tomorrow's meeting with Costello. Boston Globe