peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Heading up to Baxter, its inevitable that the majority of folks drive past the former GMP East Millinocket papermill. Unlike the Millinocket mill which was shut down several years and was scrapped recently, the East Mill had been running until last spring and still looked like it might run again. After some prodding by creditors, the firms that had owned it declared bankruptcy and the remnants were auctioned off yesterday. The purchaser appears to be uninterested in running a papermill so the expectation is they will scrap it out.
http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/...r-e-millinocket-mill-at-5-4-million/comments/
I was in the facility about week before the bankruptcy and like other shut down facilities I have toured in the past it was definitely creepy. All the lights and heat was on, office desks still had coffee cups on the desks and lunchrooms and control rooms looked like the next shift would be walking in anytime. In general, to make it a functional paper facility that could compete would take far more money than any of the bidders would appear to be interested in spending.
The impact to the hiking public may not be immediate but I would expect services in town will slowly be reduced as the area reduces its population further. The Maine Woods NP folks will crank up the hype to get local support but considering that the logical access is actually one exit north of Medway don't see it as a major benefit to the area except as source of seasonal tourist jobs. There will be still be some strip development that will survive off seasonal tourism.
If and when the biocoal facility gets built and running in Millinocket, there could be small group of direct hires and more indirect hires to support the wood supply but that is a couple of years down the road.
http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/...r-e-millinocket-mill-at-5-4-million/comments/
I was in the facility about week before the bankruptcy and like other shut down facilities I have toured in the past it was definitely creepy. All the lights and heat was on, office desks still had coffee cups on the desks and lunchrooms and control rooms looked like the next shift would be walking in anytime. In general, to make it a functional paper facility that could compete would take far more money than any of the bidders would appear to be interested in spending.
The impact to the hiking public may not be immediate but I would expect services in town will slowly be reduced as the area reduces its population further. The Maine Woods NP folks will crank up the hype to get local support but considering that the logical access is actually one exit north of Medway don't see it as a major benefit to the area except as source of seasonal tourist jobs. There will be still be some strip development that will survive off seasonal tourism.
If and when the biocoal facility gets built and running in Millinocket, there could be small group of direct hires and more indirect hires to support the wood supply but that is a couple of years down the road.
