Housatonic Wire owner Alex Budzinski sent photos Tuesday showing demolition had re-started again at his factory, which was gutted by fire in September 2010.
It was the first progress at the River Street site since July 2010.
The pace of the cleanup at the site has angered Seymour officials, particularly First Selectman Kurt Miller.
The cleanup is being paid for through a low-interest $200,000 loan from the state.
Miller complained in September that Budzinski had set himself up to be paid as a $30,000 consultant to the cleanup project, using money that was being loaned from the state.
On Nov. 16, the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development announced they told Budzinski to void a contract that saw receiving money as a consultant.
The state said their priority is to see Housatonic Wire cleaned up. They gave Budzinski a January deadline to get the job done.
Budzinski said in an e‑mail a new contractor has been hired. He told the Valley Indy last week he hopes to be celebrating the property’s cleanup with a glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve.
Miller is adopting a wait and see approach. He said Budzinski has been ignoring phone calls and e‑mails from the town for weeks.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Miller said Tuesday. “He’s basically ignored any outreach or communication on our part.”
There is still at least one civil lawsuit still active regarding the September 2010 fire. Court records show Housatonic Wire has a lawsuit pending against the contractors who were working in the building just before the fire. Blow torches used by workers performing demo work in 2010 may have triggered the fire.
A hearing on the civil case is scheduled for Dec. 14 in Superior Court in Milford.
