Wilson Mill Park Dedication

Compiled by The Bedford Citizen

On Saturday, May 18, the long-awaited Wilson Mill Park ribbon cutting and dedication ceremonies took place under sunny skies with close to 80 people in attendance. A series of speakers welcomed the crowd, described how the project came together, explained the history and significance of the site, and thanked a variety of people associated with the project, including members of the Wilson Mill Planning Committee; the Historic Preservation Commission; the Conservation Commission; the Department of Public Works; Weston and Sampson— the construction firm that restored the dam and bridge; and the voters of Bedford for supporting the Community Preservation surcharge that made the restoration project possible. Mimi Adler and Gordon Feltman, who in their separate ways envisioned the park in its reclaimed state, were remembered and dedications of a park bench and the dam bridge, respectively, were made in their honor. Plaques recognizing their contributions were unveiled.

To begin the official remarks, Janice Weichman, a member of the Wilson Mill Park Planning Committee, approached the podium:

“. . . I like to refer to our group as ‘the little Committee that could.’ At times over the past ten years, our work progressed like a chapter out of Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events.’ My personal low point came after we had met all the necessary Conservation Commission requirements, had successfully bid out the Park beautification job, and the contractor began putting protective hay bales in place to begin work. . .when a large sink hole was discovered on the bridge and the dam was later condemned by the state, bringing our Park restoration efforts to a screeching halt. That was back in 2007. But, we kept the faith!…”  [read more. . .]

Adrienne St. John, Acting Director of the Department of Public Works then spoke about the project itself:

“. . . As you’ll hear shortly from those to follow, this site means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But, pardon my bluntness, to DPW this site was a headache. . . .The headaches turned to migraines when in 2008, Kristin and I found the huge sink hole at the start of the long-awaited project just to clean up the site, let alone having to deal with the Certificate of Non-Compliance by the Office of Dam Safety. Finally the headache turned to panic during the storms of March 2010 when Rich Warrington, Earle Elliott and Chuck Stone from the Fire Department spent nail-biting hours watching the flood waters rise to cover the secondary culvert, compromise the main channel and dramatically blow out sections on the downstream side of the dam. . . .” [read more. . .]

Don Corey of the Historic Preservation Commission explained the historical significance of the Wilson Mill site:

“. . . This mill was a major employer here for centuries. A sawmill for lumber was added to the corn mill; in 1840 a paper mill was established, later a blind and sash factory, and then a paint mill. It was Staples Cider Mill in the 1890s. After a bad fire at the mill in the 1800’s it was estimated that 10% of Bedford’s population lost their jobs. Regrettably, by the end of WW II the water-powered mill was no longer needed. With the construction of the Route 3 intersection here in 1953, remnants of the mill were almost entirely destroyed. The land formerly occupied by the mill and millpond became divided among multiple owners. . . .” [read more. . .]

Selectman Mark Siegenthaler, standing in for Selectman Cathy Cordes , read Cordes’ words, dedicating the Wilson Mill bridge to former Selectman Gordon Feltman, who was instrumental in mustering support for the reclamation project:

“. . . Today we dedicate this bridge in memory of Gordon Feltman. It was Gordon who saw the potential for combining the interest in historic preservation of the mill site with the recreational potential of the mill pond. He wanted his grandchildren to skate in the winter on this pond. He wanted Bedford residents to have a lovely spot for kayaking and bird watching. And he wanted to see a unique part of Bedford’s history preserved for future generations. . . “ [read more. . .]

Don Corey returned to the podium to dedicate a park bench to Mimi Adler, who championed the mill site and other natural areas in Bedford during her lifetime:

“Mimi was a Bedford native and knew its special places.  She made her mark on many of them. Early on, Hartwell Town Forest was one of them. When the old granite horse trough that had stood for over a century at the corner of the Common was discovered in the town dump, Mimi went to Town Meeting with an article.  She succeeded in having the trough inscribed with the names of the donors of Hartwell Town Forest to the town and then having it placed there. . ..” [read more. . .]

Selectman Mike Rosenberg also spoke paid tribute Feltman, and Dorothy Africa of the Wilson Mill Planning Committee honored Mimi Adler prior to the dedication of the park bench in Adler’s name. Chairman of the Wilson Park Planning Committee, Phillipe Kelty, closed the official ceremonies and thanked everyone for their work who had a hand in the project. The plaque dedicating the bridge to Feltman was unveiled and Lori Eggert of the Conservation Commission led a group of about a dozen people on a tour of the trails and vegetation on the site.

Thanks to Bedford TV, here’s the video of the dedication!