Technical Assistance Success Stories | EPA #560F23290 March 2022 Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment KATAHDIN FORMER MILL FUNDING STRATEGY WORKSHOP (EPA REGION 1) SITE STATISTICS • Communities: East Millinocket, Millinocket. and Lincoln. Maine • Local project lead: Town of East Millinocket • Former use: Paper Mills in North Central Maine (Katahdin Region) • Future use: Industrial, Warehouse, Manufacturing, Business Incubator, and Public Access • Brownfields technical assistance: Funding Strategy Workshop PROJECT BACKGROUND The EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) recently provided technical assistance (TA) to the Towns of East Millinocket, Millinocket, and Lincoln, Maine to help them complete site reuse plans for former paper mill sites. With initial site reuse planning and repositioning underway, these communities are seeking funding to help them address challenges from past mill operations and transform their mill sites into modern commercial/industrial uses that benefit their local communities. PROJECT CHALLENGE Site reuse plans indicated that each town's mill site required site cleanup, infrastructure improvements, and other investments to make redevelopment possible. Each town sought funding options to offset cleanup and reuse costs. While progress was made on each site, the towns needed an opportunity to collectively discuss their site reuse goals so they could identify synergies and collaborative opportunities. HOW EPA HELPED In February 2022, EPAs TA team facilitated a funding strategy workshop between the towns and funding agencies to discuss the communities' redevelopment visions, opportunities, and funding challenges as they seek to repurpose their former paper mill brownfield sites. With more than 50 attendees, the workshop established a dialogue among the towns and relevant funding agencies and government representatives (including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Finance Authority of Maine, and the office of U.S. Senator Susan Collins). The participants discussed how to obtain and direct various financial assistance sources. By introducing the mill communities to a broad array of funders and funding programs, EPA's TAteam helped each community better understand the range of financial feasibility and site reuse opportunities. A full recording of the workshop is available at: https://www.redevelopmentinstitute.orq/katahdin-workshop/. COMMUNITY'S NEXT STEPS • Continue to pursue public funding needed to achieve site reuse goals. Funding is needed for: engineering and design plans, physical site improvements, demolition and cleanup, design and implementation of renewable energy systems, utility and roadway infrastructure, workforce training, business development and recruitment, and site development. • Continue to seek private investment and sustainable development opportunities. • Continue to collaborate with other brownfield communities and funding agencies and align local efforts with state and federal policy goals and objectives. Figure 1: East Millinocket Site in October 2021 Questions? Please contact EPA Region 1: Jim Byrne ------- |