We asked Kip Bergstrom from CT OPM, (and also a Saybrook resident) to answer some tough questions about the current state of our region’s economy. This response is coming straight from his desk – and is meant to stir conversation, spark your interest, and shed some light on WHY this project is necessary.
Q: WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT OLD FACTORY?
A: We should try to reinvent our mills as new places of making, not just apartments or condos. They can be spectacular places to work with their exposed brick walls, natural light, and often, a rushing stream or mill race nearby. Some of them could be reconnected to water power to provide their own green energy. They could be new homes to various combinations of artists, artisans, tinkerers, tech entrepreneurs, and researchers. If redeveloped sensitively and imaginatively, many of the mills and the still existent worker housing around them could be walkable places of great character and vitality.
- Kip Bergstrom, CT OPM
Q: WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT OLD FACTORY?
A: We should try to reinvent our mills as new places of making, not just apartments or condos. They can be spectacular places to work with their exposed brick walls, natural light, and often, a rushing stream or mill race nearby. Some of them could be reconnected to water power to provide their own green energy. They could be new homes to various combinations of artists, artisans, tinkerers, tech entrepreneurs, and researchers. If redeveloped sensitively and imaginatively, many of the mills and the still existent worker housing around them could be walkable places of great character and vitality.
- Kip Bergstrom, CT OPM
