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Former Mill Redeveloped
to Create 500 Jobs
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Brewer, Maine
he City of Brewer is located in the northwestern portion of
the state of Maine along the Penobscot River and has a rich history
of paper manufacturing. Beginning in 1889, Eastern Fine Paper
operated a lumber mill, then moved to lumber and pulp, and finally
become a pulp and paper manufacturer. The company owned and
operated a mill in the city for more than 100 years. It became the
city's largest property tax payer and largest employer, employing
more than 900 people at its peak.
In September of 2000, Eastern Fine Paper's parent company filed
for bankruptcy protection. The company was unable to recover
and in January 2004, Eastern Fine Paper filed for bankruptcy
and closed its operations leaving 430 residents unemployed. In
the months following the closure, the City formed South Brewer
Redevelopment, LLC (SBR) to spearhead the assessment, cleanup
and redevelopment of the 41-acre Eastern Fine Paper mill property
located on the Penobscot River. In May 2004, SBR obtained
ownership of the mill through tax foreclosure.
In 2004, using funds from an EPA Brownfields State and Tribal
grant, Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
initiated an environmental assessment on the property. Results
from this assessment indicated that an emergency removal was
necessary and EPA Region 1's Emergency Response and Planning
Branch performed a time-critical removal action. As part of the
removal action, Maine DEP and EPA Region 1 conducted a number
of removal activities including: consolidating and staging hundreds
of drums, totes and chemical containers; inventorying and staging
laboratory chemicals; removing, consolidating, staging and disposing
of thousands of fluorescent bulbs, mercury switches, thermostats,
fire extinguishers and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) ballasts;
consolidating, staging and removing empty containers; bulking
contents of similar chemical containers; draining, removing and
consolidating PCB transformers; and assisting in the loadout of
chemicals and oils for reuse, recycling and disposal.
continued ^
An aerial view of the redeveloped property,
with module construction underway.
JUST THE FACTS:
• Property redevelopment was
completed with the help of EPA
Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup,
and Revolving Loan Fund grants,
as well as Brownfields State and
Tribal funding.
• The former paper mill was
transformed into a modular
construction facility which began
operations in 2008.
• The facility hosted a grand opening
on August 15, 2008, to celebrate
the successful cleanup and
redevelopment of the property.
The new
manufacturing facility
is expected to provide
500 well-paid jobs.
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In 2005, the City of Brewer was awarded a $350,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment grant
to assist with the current assessment efforts conducted on the property. By October
2007, the final assessment reports were completed and cleanup was underway.
In 2006, SBR was awarded a Brownfields Cleanup grant as well as two
supplemental grants awarded in 2008 to fund cleanup activities at the property.
Simultaneously, the City of Brewer was awarded a $1 million Brownfields
Revolving Loan Fund grant to help the City address issues with contaminated
properties.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 1
(617)918-1105
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
While the assessment and cleanup were taking place, SBR began looking
for developers and reuse ideas for the property. Initially, SBR scheduled the
property to be redeveloped as an adaptive reuse property, meaning the existing
buildings would be adapted for store fronts, apartments, and office space. For
a variety of reasons, they decided not to proceed with the initial plan and instead
chose to go with a new idea and developer, Niemann Capital. While working with their
new developer, officials from the redevelopment corporation were approached by the Cianbro
Corporation in February 2007. Cianbro Corporation is a construction and construction services company
that specializes in heavy industrial, energy systems, marine, commercial, and
industrial construction. Because of the property's proximity to the water, it
was a good fit for a modular construction facility, where large pieces of
machinery or components are built and then shipped to the site where
they will be used. Since the city had a highly skilled workforce and
there was the potential of leveraging 500 high paying jobs, SBR seized
the opportunity to work with Cianbro Corporation. The redevelopment
corporation met with their developer who, upon hearing of the offer,
agreed to close the contract. This allowed SBR to partner with Cianbro
Corporation. To assist with costs associated with the property, Cianbro
Corporation applied for and received a $550,000 loan from the City of
Brewer's EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.
Demolition in progress on main mill buildings at
the former Eastern Fine Paper property.
The former Eastern Fine Paper mill property has been renamed the Eastern Manufacturing Facility.
Modular component manufacturing began at the yard in April 2008, to support a $7 billion refinery
expansion project in Port Arthur, Texas. The facility currently employs more than 358 people and is
expected to employ 500 well-paid, highly skilled workers by the end of the year. On August 15, 2008,
the facility hosted a grand opening celebration and open house for the community to mark the successful
cleanup and redevelopment of the property. The Mayor of Brewer, EPA officials, state representatives,
U.S. Senators and Representatives, and the CEO of Cianbro Corporation attended the event.
Brownfields Success Story
Brewer, Maine
Eastern Manufacturing Facility
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-313
November 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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