WATERVILLE – State officials hope to meet with L.L. Bean officials next week to persuade the company to continue moving forward with plans for a new call center in a business park in Oakland.

L.L. Bean announced it was putting plans on hold for a 50,000-square-foot call center following news that another company was building an even larger call center at FirstPark business park.

A company spokesman said Bean is concerned there won’t be enough workers for its call center if T-Mobile USA also builds a customer service center that will employ 700 people or more.

Gov. John Baldacci said he is committed to finding a resolution. He said he is convinced there are enough workers in central Maine for both companies.

“I’m not going to leave any stone unturned,” he said. “They are a valuable company. They’ve treated the state and their people very well. I’m prepared to do everything and be as aggressive as I can be. I’m not going to lose one of those jobs. I want all of those jobs in Maine.”

L.L. Bean, an outdoors outfitter based in Freeport, announced in June that it planned to move its call center in Waterville to FirstPark. During peak seasons, the company needs at least 800 seasonal workers to bolster its year-round force of 240 employees, said spokesman Rich Donaldson.

“Our peak hiring needs have changed considerably,” Donaldson said. “We had 300 more [seasonal] workers this year, bringing us to just over 1,000 [peak-season employees overall] rather than 700 last year. That, coinciding with the T-Mobile announcement, is giving us pause.”

Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said her department, on Baldacci’s request, is gathering labor market data to give to L.L. Bean.

Fortman said although the state unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, the Waterville labor market unemployment rate is 6.1 percent.

She said companies looking to locate in central Maine need also to consider those who are underemployed and the disabled who may not currently be in the work force. Also, the state recently started including notices of job openings with unemployment checks to advertise for jobs.

Waterville officials said they would also seek a meeting with L.L. Bean and FirstPark officials, City Administrator Michael J. Roy said.