| The city of Waterbury today closed the deal to acquire the former MacDermid Inc. property on East Aurora Street and Huntingdon Avenue. The 41-acre site, consisting of two parcels, was secured for $2 and will become the home of a new public works campus once it is remediated.
The construction of a new public works facility will take approximately two years to complete. The plans call for the demolition of old buildings spanning 110,000 square feet and renovation of an existing 59,000-square-foot building.
“The city had been searching for a site for a unified public works facility,” said Mayor Neil M. O’Leary. “The property is near major roads and highways, providing location and cost advantages, and does not require displacement of existing businesses. Today marks the culmination of a collaborative effort between senior management at MacDermid, the Leever family and a number of area businesses which supported this endeavor. It was extraordinary to see the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the city of Waterbury work in unison with MacDermid on this extremely complicated transaction. Additionally, the acquisition shows that there are endless opportunities for returning brownfield sites into productive use.”
MacDermid Inc. is a global provider of high value-added specialty chemicals. Established in 1922 and headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut, the company employs over 2,000 people in multiple sites throughout the world. MacDermid was acquired last year for $1.8 billion by Platform Acquisition Holdings Ltd. MacDermid’s U.S. headquarters and research and development facility will continue to operate out of its Freight Street location.
"We are happy that our unused land and property on Huntingdon Avenue can be put to good use by the city of Waterbury,” said Dan Leever, chief executive officer of Platform Specialty Products Corporation. Our hat goes off to Mayor O'Leary for tirelessly working to make this happen for the benefit of the citizens of Waterbury. This is the property my father worked from starting in 1938,” Leever continued. “He would be very pleased it is being put to good use in this manner. MacDermid and its parent Platform Specialty Products are proud of any contribution we can make to Waterbury and its citizens."
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