Brownfields
Success Story
Verso Paper Mill
Bucksport, Maine
A large oceariside aquaculture system, a church, and an international
maritime training center are among the enterprises preparing to open at
the site of a former paper mill on the banks of the Penobscot River in
Bucksport. Thanks to Bucksport, a town with the foresight to put money
aside, as well as Eastern Maine Development Corporation which worked
to involve the community, and a planning process that took seriously the
need for a diverse economic base, this former industrial town will again
have a vibrant coast, although one that is very different from its industrial
past.
In the past 15 years, all six major pulp and paper mills sitting along the
Penobscot River have closed. The mills were the bedrock of the local
economy and their closures affected many of the other businesses that
relied on the prosperity provided by the mills. Three decades before the
Verso Paper Mill closed and removed 570 well-paying jobs from the
community, the town of Bucksport set aside reserve funds, opening
people's minds to the concept that Bucksport might not always be a mill
town. Keeping an open mind, planning for the future, and diversifying the
community's economy led to the success of this project.
The history of the Verso paper mill site began in the late 1800s with the
construction of the Sherman Steel Mill. The steel mill was replaced in
1890 by the Blodgett Tanning Company, which was sold in 1929 to the
Maine Seaboard Paper Co. Many paper companies then operated at this
site. The last paper company there, Verso Paper Corporation, closed its
doors in 2014.
Eastern Maine Development Corporation, a local non-profit economic
development organization, has been working with the Town of Bucksport
and the property owner, since 2015, to develop strategies to diversify the
economy and revitalize the shuttered paper mill. Strategies focused on
complementing the local economy, using the existing infrastructure,
creating jobs, and bringing new life to the community. An advisory
committee of residents, town and state officials, the development
coorporation, business owners, and others with an interest was put
together. They held public events, created on-line forums and held one-
on-one interviews to collect input. The group envisioned welcoming
"partnerships and industries that provide clean, resilient, and diversified
businesses."
The committee also analyzed economic and market opportunities for
potential redevelopment of this 200-acre site. This analysis looked at
real estate trends, physical conditions of the property, local zoning, and
transportation issues, it brought to light concerns around brownfields
issues and contamination based on the mill's long industrial history.
EPA Grant Recipients:
Eastern Maine Development Corp,
Hancock County Planning Commission,
Maine DEP, Penobscot Indian Nation
Grant Types:
Assessment, State Program Funds,
Targeted Brownfields Assessment
Current Use:
Commercial Aquaculture Facility,
Educational Facility, Industrial Park
4>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

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Luckily, several of the project partners had Brownfields funding from EPA.
By combining staff and resources from several Brownfields grant and
technical assistance programs, the stakeholders were able complete the
project planning and site assessment activities needed to get the site ready
for redevelopment.
Today
The former Verso paper mill has been subdivided into a four-lot industrial
park. Whole Oceans purchased two lots totaling 104 acres, which made
them the anchor tenant. The company announced it would develop a land-
based salmon farm and processing facility. The entire development will take
about 10 years to complete and will culminate in 945,000 square feet of
building area and create up to 250 jobs The proposed Whole Oceans
facility, which is one of the largest land-based aquaculture projects in the
world, will produce 25,000 metric tons of salmon. Whole Oceans has pre-
sold 100 percent of its production for the first 10 years, making it a
sustainable business.
Maine Maritime Academy, a public college, has acquired one of the four
lots for its Center for Professional Mariner Development program. The new
training center will include a 20,000-square-foot administration and
instruction building, which will house classrooms, offices, training labs and
conference rooms.
Maine Maritime is also building a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose
firefighting training facility on the property. This facility will serve
municipalities, counties, and the state in training police, wardens, National
Guard, and first-responders. The facility will also train cargo and dock
personnel, providing shipyard skills like welding and electrical safety
training.
The momentum created by development at the Verso Paper Mill site has
inspired other industries to invest in Bucksport, including a local church,
which bought two buildings as a fitness center and for gatherings, and the
Greenhead Lobster and Pemaquid Mussel Farm, which bought two parcels
totalling six acres.
EPA's invested approximately $579,000 in this project through the
Brownfields program as follows:
$200,000 areawide planning grant - Eastern Maine Development Corp
$49,000 in assessment grant funds - Eastern Maine Developme Corp
$160,000 in assessment grant funds - Hancock Country Planning Comm
$170,000 in EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment technical assistance
The total value of this redevelopment project is estimated to exceed $53M,
which represents a multiplier on EPA's investment.
"The EPA Area Wide
Planning Grant which
resulted in the ADAPT Plan
brought together all
stakeholders in the
community to create a
realistic, working
document to help shape
the future of the former
mill site - and the
community. The
partnerships created and
reinforced in this process
have been a key to our
continued
redevelopment."
Susan Lessard, Town Manager
Bucksport, Maine
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at
www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
AmyJean McKeown at 617-918-1248 or
McKeown.AmyJean@epa.gov.
EPA 560-F-20-013
May 2020

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