Brownfields
Success Story
EPA Grant Recipient:
Pine Crest Development Corp
Grant Types:
Cleanup, Revolving Loan Funds
Current Use:
Retail, Commercial Property
Former Use:
Woolen Mill, Furniture
Mayo Mill
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
For over 100 years Mayo Mill provided jobs iri wool and wood production for the
town of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. It has now been redeveloped into a thriving
multi-purpose and mixed-use complex of sought-after apartments and offices
that are drawing new residents and businesses into the downtown area. An
unprecedented shared vision among a group of partners - good timing and
realistic goals led to the redevelopment of this abandoned and contaminated mill
into 80,000 square feet of residential housing, commercial use, and a data center
expanding much needed broadband internet access for this rural town of 4,200
residents.
History
Mayo Mill was the site of multiple woolen mills beginning in 1886 and was later
taken over by the Moosehead Manufacturing Company, a high-end wooden
furniture factory from the 1950's until 2007 when the mill ceased its operations.
The mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012
due to its association with the textile industries in Maine and its significant
contribution to the town's history. The mill sits along the Piscataquis River in
downtown Dover-Foxcroft, the largest town in Piscataquis County.
Cleanup
The Moosehead Manufacturing Company, which once employed more than 200
people, closed its doors for good in 2007. In 2009, the mill became town property
through a tax foreclosure. Pine Crest Development Corporation, a non-profit
economic development corporation, bought the property and took the lead with
the town's help. Site assessment activities conducted by the Piscataquis County of
Economic Development Council and Maine DEP funded through Brownfields
grants helped determine that contamination throughout the mill consisted of
asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint, mold, and other wastes. The
property was cleaned up after receiving funds through the EPA and other
financial partnerships, including EPA Brownfields cleanup grants and revolving
loan funds, along with private redevelopment funding. Historic tax credits were
given by state and federal governments. In 2019, a private developer purchased
the property with the intent to renovate the building as a multi-reuse
development with spectacular waterfront views along the banks of the
Piscataquis River.
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Funding
Brownfields Assessment Grant Funding $98,000
US EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants (2) $400,000
Maine Statewide Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund $657,000
Piscataquis County Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund $575,000
Northern Maine Development Commission Brownfields RLF	$215.000
Total EPA Brownfields Investment
$1,945,000
This over $12M project also received state and federal historic tax credits and
funding from the US Economic Development Administration, US Department of
Agriculture, Northern Border Commission, and other state, local, and private
sources.
"The Mayo Mill was a success
because the community had a
vision for the future of the mill,
mixed-use residential, and
commercial redevelopment, and
it was fortunate enough to work
with a developer willing to share
the same vision and stay
committed to making it a reality.
There were people along the way
who said that the project couldn't
be done, but the developer
always said this is a project that
has to be done. The Mayo Mill
project not only revitalized our
historic downtown, but it has
since inspired several other
investments throughout the
community."
Jack Clukey, Town Manager
Dover Foxcroft, Maine
Today
For more information
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at
www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
AmyJean McKeown, 617 918 1248
McKeown.AmvJean(a)epa.gov
The Mill at Dover-Foxcroft now offers 22 affordable market-rate apartments and
over 10,000 square feet of office and commercial space, to include a possible
restaurant, brew pub, and farmers' market. Within walking distance to
downtown's Main Street and located directly on the water, Mayo Mill has a long
waiting list of potential tenants. This list includes many seniors who want to stay
in the community where they have lived since childhood, where one can stay,
work, play, and live in the heart of downtown Dover-Foxcroft. Residents who
want to avoid a commute can rent 100 or 200-square foot sunlit offices just
below their home and conveniently walk downstairs to work. With many people
working at home in 2020 and beyond, this popular feature has been in high
demand. The popularity of the residential units led developers to make plans for
22 more such apartments in the future.
In addition to the residential and commercial space, the renovated Mayo Mill
boasts a six-room boutique hotel and has created over 42 new jobs for the
community. With three separate fiber optic networks converging in Dover-
Foxcroft and bringing reliable high-speed internet to the building, a state-of-the-
art data center is attracting new businesses to the area, including one which has
moved from Connecticut. The University of Maine has also capitalized on this
infrastrcuture by utilizing the data center as a hub to connect the networks of
several of the university's campuses.
The renovated mill buildings incorporate renewable energy generated from a
modern geothermal heating and cooling system installed at the mill. Future plans
entail restoring a hydro-electric power generator from a historic part of the
former mill to provide the entire complex with renewable electricity -
approximately 1,361 Megawatt hours each year. This is about twice the amount
of energy anticipated to be consumed on the property, so the excess power will
be used downtown and/or sold back to the grid. This innovative feature along
with the high-speed internet and multi-use renovations has made Mayo Mill a
model for for sustainable redevelopment while returning vitality and community
living in this historic town.
EPA 560-F-20-179
November 2020

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