March 28, 2024
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Apollo property owner has new plan Camden officials to discuss letter touting availability of federal funds

CAMDEN – Town officials will meet in closed session Monday night to discuss a letter sent by one of the owners of the former Apollo tannery property on Washington Street.

The letter, dated Aug. 5 and addressed to Town Manager Roger Moody from Richard “Buck” Lawson, touts the availability of new federal funds to help pay for cleaning up the contaminated site.

Lawson also states in the letter his intention to redevelop the site under existing zoning regulations.

Contacted in California, Lawson said Friday he has been advised by an associate not to disclose the details of his plans, but confirmed that a mix of offices, retail and condominium housing is being considered.

Retaining at least part of the building is being contemplated, he said, comparing the concept to the Sea Dog restaurant in Camden, which makes use of the old beams in the former mill in which it is located.

Lawson said he wants the town to actively pursue funds to assist him in the cleanup and redevelopment and he hoped “we can do this on a friendly basis.”

The property, which lies along the bank of the Megunticook River, has had industrial uses for about 100 years. The Apollo Tanning Co. operation ceased in 1999 after a fire damaged one of the outbuildings.

Later, the Department of Environmental Protection was called in to inspect the property after an odor emanating from the buildings filled the downtown. DEP finally took control of the property to oversee a cleanup of improperly stored chemicals.

Nearly a year ago, after a series of hearings, the Select Board declared the three-story, wooden structure a dangerous building under state law, and demanded the property be made safe from intruders, animals and fire.

The town set an Oct. 15, 2002, deadline by which Apollo Real Estate Ltd., the company that owns the property, would either have a viable redevelopment plan or would be ordered to demolish the buildings.

Last summer, a New Jersey company specializing in the redevelopment of so-called brownfield sites like the Apollo property expressed interest in redeveloping the property, but the plans did not come to fruition.

A recent analysis completed by Summit Environmental Consultants Inc. of Lewiston concluded that it would cost $3.2 million to remediate the property so it would get a clean bill of health. Town officials said it would probably cost less to clean the site to a level that would earn DEP approval.

In June, residents voted to explore using tax-increment financing to give a potential developer a break on property taxes to assist with redeveloping the site.

In his letter, Lawson refers to federal legislation creating new funding for brownfield cleanups.

“We now have an alternative solution to the site cleanup problem by accessing new federal funding,” Lawson wrote, under a bill known as the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. It provides grants and loans for such redevelopment, the letter states.

“We realize that popular opinion is that the cost of the cleanup would far exceed the funds available,” Lawson wrote, “but they don’t necessarily with the right development plan.”

With the deadline approaching, Lawson wrote, he is eager to submit a remediation plan to DEP, “as soon as we can get some idea that the funding will be available. Can you please give us a list of the things that are required from us so we don’t lose any time getting them to you,” the letter concludes.

Moody declined to comment on the letter, but said he had discussed it with Town Attorney Terry Calderwood, who agreed it should be discussed by board members in closed session.


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