_ BATES MILL COMPLEX EPA-560-F-08-294 September 2008 Lewiston, Maine Assessment Grant Former Mill Complex Redeveloped for Light Industrial Use, with a 300,000 Square Foot Convention Center Planned ADDRESS: PROPERTY SIZE: FORMER USE: CURRENT USES: 15-28 Canal Street, Lewiston, ME 04240 10 Acres Textile Mill Tenants include large corporations, an education center, other non-profits, and a restaurant. EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: City of Lewiston received a $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant and $300,000 in Supplemental Assistance funding PROJECT PARTNERS: Lewiston Mill Redevelopment Corporation; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Economic Development Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture; private industry For additional data and geographic information for this and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's: Envirofacts - v^ww.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_quer/.html Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf PROJECT BACKGROUND: Lewiston's Bates Mill was once the largest employer in Maine, with activity dating back to the mid-1850s. The enormous textile complex served as both the geographic and cultural center of downtown Lewiston, as most of its workers lived and shopped within walking distance. The gradual decline of the textile industry led to the mill's closure and abandonment. By the time the city took ownership of the 10-acre site, Lewiston's poverty rate had climbed as high as 50 percent. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: • Created a plan to redevelop the historic site into a modern office and light industrial complex • Cleaned up Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) • Leveraged a total of $35.7 million toward cleanup and redevelopment efforts • Leveraged more than 1,200 jobs through the completion of redevelopment OUTCOME: The Bates Mill site provides prime office and light industrial space with the interiors and exteriors of the buildings preserving the historical setting with large windows, exposed beam, and brick exteriors. The Grantee leveraged a total of $35.7 million for cleanup and redevelopment and leveraged more than 1,200 jobs through completion of redevelopment. Future plans for the site include utilizing a 300,000 square foot mill building for convention space, expanding arts and entertainment venues along the adjacent canal, and creating pedestrian paths to the nearby river and a local recreational park. T/ie newly restored Bates Mill Complex in Lewiston, Maine. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at httc gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region I at (617) 918-1424 ------- |