Wiscasset urged to buy former plant Residents say site can be redeveloped

PORTLAND – More than 800 Wiscasset-area residents have petitioned the town to acquire the former Mason Station power plant and redevelop it as part of a nonindustrial waterfront.

The move by an organization called Stewards of the Sheepscot comes one month after Dragon Cement and Concrete said it was negotiating to buy the property from FPL Energy, which took it over from Central Maine Power Co. in 1999.

The oil-fired Mason Station plant had served for years as a key producer of electricity for Maine. Two of its five generators have been taken off line, and the plant is used as a reserve source of power.

Town officials received the petition last week. The Board of Selectmen is considering the proposal, which ultimately would require voter approval at town meeting.

“The site is appealing, but there are a lot of concerns,” said Selectwoman Judy Flanigan. “It’s not an easy thing to look at. There’s a lot to it.”

Dragon officials said they were prepared to invest about $5 million to build a 125-foot cement storage silo at Mason Station.

But on Sept. 22, Dragon Vice President Terry Veysey announced that negotiations between his company and FPL Energy had been put on hold.

Meanwhile, Dragon’s attempt to buy Mason Station was generating concern among area residents, who envisioned a much different use for the site.

John Bryer, chairman of the Wiscasset Waterfront Committee and a member of Stewards of the Sheepscot, said potential uses include a hotel-conference center, a railroad station, or some type of marine use. A cement barge operation would disrupt fishing activities in the Sheepscot and detract from Wiscasset’s maritime heritage, he said.

“It’s almost endless what we could do here,” Bryer said. “When you bring in heavy industry, it’s too close to a pristine river. The Sheepscot is one of the most pristine rivers in Maine. There’s a lot here to keep the way it is.”