Brewer kicks off tours of mill site

BREWER – Most of the original floor-to-ceiling windows at the defunct Eastern Fine Paper Co. mill have been bricked over, but as Drew Sachs led a tour through the big empty structure, he described how each room would be filled with sunlight if the windows were returned.

The Brewer economic development director and D’arcy Main-Boyington, deputy director, are giving daily tours of the mill site this week and want the public to brainstorm and suggest how they would like to see the 41-acre site redeveloped.

The tours are a chance for interested people to see the interior before a Nov. 16 public envisioning meeting is held on the mill’s redevelopment.

“We’re interested in what you want to see,” Sachs told a tour group of 15 Monday. “We have two developers seriously interested in the site. We’re not talking about what they want to do – we’re interested in what you want to see.”

The group of residents from in and around the city and representatives from area organizations and businesses donned blue hardhats for their hike around the inside of the former mill.

“It doesn’t seem that big from the outside,” John Chauvin of Dixmont noted while walking though the 400,000-square-foot facility.

After the tour, Brewer resident Paul Hodsdon, who works in real estate, said he went on the tour because he’s very interested in the redevelopment and its progress.

“I wanted to see what the possibilities are because I live so close,” he said. “This [site] has potential because it’s on the river.”

A bonus of redeveloping the South Main Street site is the added benefits to area residents and businesses.

“It can only bring property values up,” Hodsdon said. “It will revitalize the whole South Brewer section [of the city]. That was a big concern when it shut down.”

The city took over ownership of the former mill in May as part of the sales agreement of Eastern Fine’s parent company, and formed South Brewer Redevelopment LLC to assume the responsibility of owning and redeveloping the site.

Sachs, who also is the managing director of South Brewer Redevelopment LLC, said he and Main-Boyington have taken more than 40 developers through the site over the past couple of months. They’re keeping the names of the two interested developers under wraps, but will make a decision by January, Sachs has said.

In each room he entered Monday, Sachs pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of the area. For the most part, the facility is structurally sound but would need a significant investment for redevelopment.

Brenda Chauvin of Dixmont said she went on the tour because she wants to ensure that the building’s history is retained.

“I think these things should be kept around and be utilized,” she said. “I think that’s a building that should be developed for everybody in the area and to bring in tourists. We need to put it on the map.”

Once the tours are complete, suggestions for redeveloping the site can be voiced at a public envisioning meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at City Hall.

People should think big when dreaming up ideas for the former mill, but no idea is too small to be brought to the envisioning meeting, Sachs said.

In January, SBR will host another public meeting to showcase the developers’ conceptual plans.

Mill tour slots are still available for the rest of this week. To make a reservation for a tour, call administrative assistant Pat Gero at 989-7500. For more information on the mill, call Sachs at 989-7500.