Water Works Bucksport, Sprague Energy discuss marine development at company’s ‘Coal Pocket’ property

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BUCKSPORT – The town of Bucksport and Sprague Energy have begun discussions on a novel project that could lead to the development of the company’s Sprague North property along the Penobscot River as a marine industrial park.

The collaboration has the potential to bring new, good-quality jobs to the area and to link Bucksport to the new Mack Point cargo port now under construction in Searsport.

The project would focus on developing the 15-acre site, known locally as the “Coal Pocket,” as a marine industrial park designed to attract marine-related businesses catering to small boating interests in the area.

The single-focus development concept is fairly new to the state, according to David Cole, president of Eastern Maine Development Corp. in Bangor, who is working to find funding to study the feasibility of the project. Although some marine-related business clusters have developed around ports in Maine, the Bucksport project is focused on attracting marine-related businesses.

“What I see in terms of Bucksport is that they are carving out a niche for a business park,” he said this week. “This is fairly unique in the sense that they are focusing on a cluster, a specific industrial cluster.

“I think they may be onto something.”

Both David Milan, Bucksport’s economic development director, and Duane Seekins, terminal manager for Sprague’s Mack Point operation, stressed that they were in the very early stages of discussions and that no firm plans have been made.

But both were enthusiastic and confident that a project could be developed.

“It’s mostly speculation right now,” Seekins said Wednesday. “We’re trying to look at different ideas that could happen there. We’re interested in utilizing a site that is very underutilized. With the town’s help, we think we can do something.”

Milan also was optimistic.

“We’ve got 100 percent support from the town and from Sprague to work together to make this happen,” he said.

The property is located north of the International Paper Co. mill off Route 15, according to Milan. It has been used in the past as a port for the delivery of coal and sulfur and, in recent years, held a tank farm for storage of home heating fuels. That operation ended in 1995, and the tanks were removed in 1997.

In the early 1990s, the area was tapped as the site for the ill-fated AES coal-fired generating plant, and, in 1999 it was proposed as a location for dismantling decommissioned warships.

The years of use as a port and tank farm resulted in some contamination at the site, much of which already has been removed, according to Nick Hodgkins, an oil and hazardous materials specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection. There is still some sulfur contamination, dating back to before Sprague owned the site, which needs to be addressed.

“They’ve done a good job of picking up the bigger pieces and disposing of them,” Hodgkins said.

The company recently has been testing the site and submitted a plan to DEP for neutralizing the remaining sulfur so the area can be revegetated.

The site is attractive for development, according to Milan. It has about 2,300 feet of river frontage and offers deep-water access. There is an existing dock that is in need of repair, but the dolphins – the structures anchored to the river bottom that hold the pier – are still in good shape, he said.

Three-phase electrical power already runs to the property. Natural gas and town sewer and water are nearby but would need to be extended to be available to the proposed development, Milan said.

The site also has rail access through a spur off the main rail line running from Brewer to the mill.

The rail line is one of the reasons Sprague has held onto the property. The company now is considering development of an intermodal facility and warehouse on a portion of the property that would supplement its operation at Mack Point. Such a development would give the company rail access to the two rail lines operating in the area, Seekins said.

“We want to keep our options open,” he said. “We have access to Bangor and Aroostook at Mack Point. We’d like to have access to the Guilford line as well.”

Meanwhile, development of the site will help the town to broaden its tax base, bringing good-quality jobs to the area, Milan said.

“We’d like to see it developed as a marine industrial park,” Milan said. “It could provide waterfront property to small boat-building companies that are looking for property. Many boat builders along the coast are being driven inland because of the high cost of waterfront property.”

The park would offer an ideal opportunity for several companies to work together to create a comprehensive marine facility offering cranes and boat-moving equipment, maintenance and repairs, and boat-building services all in one location.

Area boaters have been asking for such a development that Milan said would complement the town’s existing waterfront area. For the past 10 years, the town has worked to develop its waterfront. The addition of the marine park would enhance the area, he said, and could spur further development.

“I think it will have only a positive impact on the waterfront,” he said.

Milan and Seekins met recently with EMDC’s Cole to discuss potential sources of funding for a feasibility study on the site.

“This is really the preliminary planning stages. We need to see how this could be set up,” he said.

They would like to do that planning during the winter and have it completed by next spring. At this point, Milan said, they don’t have an estimate on how long it would be before businesses would be able to move in.

By the time it’s ready, they may have a waiting list for the park. Some boat-building businesses already have heard of the potential project and want to know when space will be available.