The town of Wilton and the owner of the former Forster Mill met in a mediation session Friday but were unable to come to an agreement over settlement terms in a lawsuit filed by the town seeking the demolition of the mill.

The town has sued Adam Mack, a former state legislator, in an effort to force him to demolish the dilapidated building in the heart of downtown. Town officials call the building dangerous and unsightly, and hired a consultant who corroborated the statements.

The two parties agreed to continue mediation at a later date.

“We haven’t resolved it, but we’re continuing to talk,” said Wilton’s attorney Michael Hodgins, of Berstein Shur.

Mack’s attorney, Michael Boyd, did not return requests for comment.

Since the lawsuit was filed last summer, both attorneys were told that police found trespassers on the Depot Street property and could have injured themselves.

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Mack previously said he would sell metal from the building to help pay for the demolition, which he estimated would cost $250,000 to $350,000. A consultant for the town, however, said all valuable metal was stripped from the structure during a botched demolition effort in 2011.

The 2011 demolition was stopped after workers reported improper removal of asbestos from the building. The mill had not been inspected for the presence of asbestos before demolition work began, a violation of Department of Environmental Protection rules. While cleaning up the remaining mess, an asbestos removal expert called it the worst asbestos site he has seen in Maine in 30 years.

Before the workers doing the demolition work reported the violations, Downeast Construction, owned by Ryan Byther, removed and sold piping worth an estimated $250,000 from the site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied a $154,200 fine for Byther’s company’s actions, and it was removed from the project.

In November 2012, Mack’s company, Wilton Recycling, was ordered to pay a $7,500 penalty to the state for the company’s role the in the asbestos hazard to employees.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

kschroeder@centralmaine.com


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