Orono seeks funds to aid cleanup around old mill

ORONO – The Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to submit an application for funds to clean up the area around the former Webster Mill with an eye on eventually making the site viable for commerce or recreation.

Town planner Evan Richert said the next step is to submit an application for a $200,000 grant, to be matched by the town at a level of $40,000, to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The application is due Nov. 14.

“We now have to get the application together,” Richert said. “I think there’s a fair amount of good support from the neighborhood.”

The former mill is located at the intersection of North Main and Penobscot streets, and is at the confluence of the Stillwater and Penobscot rivers.

At an Oct. 15 neighborhood meeting, Richert said the cleanup estimate is $300,000 that consists of $280,000 to clean up the soil, which contains chemicals such as arsenic and lead, and $20,000 for asbestos abatement in the mill building.

The building on the 3-acre site dates back 130 years and there has been activity on the site since the late 1700s.

Richert said there was some talk Monday about what could happen to the site, including the council’s interest in maintaining some public access to the grounds. It’s likely no decision can be made, however, until the site is environmentally safe.

There has been some interest in the site from some commercial ventures, Richert said. The building may be eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places and if that happens, a profit-making concern would be eligible for up to 45 percent tax credits. Nonprofit groups would not receive tax credits.

“I think [the site] will appeal to a number of groups, and the big barrier is the cleanup,” he said. “First things first.”

The town owns the property, which was taken for nonpayment of taxes in November 2006. It is zoned as limited and medium density residential.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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