Norwich — The city received three bids this week to deconstruct an 1830 granite mill on the Yantic River as part of a plan to create the Uncas Leap Heritage Park at the historic rocky gorge and waterfall.

Wiese Construction of Norwich submitted the low bid of $349,752 for the proposal to remove the roof and upper story of the dilapidated mill building, shore up the exterior first-story walls to create a ruin and stack the granite blocks on site for future use as seating for a proposed amphitheater.

The other two bids were $398,375 from Stamford Wrecking Co. of Trumbull and $753,379 from Mattern Construction Inc. of Baltic.

The city plans to use part of a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development to pay for the mill deconstruction. The grant already has paid for the design and construction of a public parking lot at the site and to engineer the bid specifications for the deconstruction, city Planner Deanna Rhodes said.

Rhodes and Public Works Director Patrick McLaughlin said they will review the submitted low bid and the project budget to determine whether there is enough funding for the demolition. McLaughlin said some money from another city demolition fund could be used to help cover the cost.

McLaughlin said city officials hope to award the bid for the deconstruction soon, because the building’s deteriorating condition has become a public safety concern. The granite building has been fenced off to prevent public access but stands very close to the adjacent Falls Mill apartment and condominium complex and sits close to the edge of the cliff overlooking the Yantic River gorge.

Another small brick mill adjacent to the granite building was demolished earlier in the park project, also by Wiese Construction.

City officials and representatives from the Mohegan Tribe have been working on the plan to create the Uncas Leap Heritage Park for the past several years. The project started coming into form in 2017, when the city used grant money and hired planning consultant Milone & MacBroom to design a master park plan at the 1.4-acre site along Yantic Street adjacent to the falls.

Project planners determined the cost would be prohibitive to try to save the granite mill. Instead, the plan calls for keeping the first-story exterior walls and window openings and creating a walking path through the ruins.

Another aspect of the plan called for creating a public parking lot outside the park perimeter so that the gravel ground at the site can be torn up and replaced with grass, plantings and a walking trail.

Once the parking lot was completed, the city blocked off vehicle access to the park area, which remains open to pedestrians.

“We’re looking for the project to continue to move forward,” Rhodes said, “and to improve that property for enjoyment and passive recreation.”

c.bessette@theday.com