OLD TOWN – A board of managers for the city’s new limited liability company is expected to be appointed by the City Council in the next couple of weeks, according to City Manager Peggy Daigle.
With the recent announcement of redevelopment plans for the former Georgia-Pacific Corp. mill, in addition to other economic development endeavors in the community, the city has formed Great Works Development LLC.
“It’s a means to make sure that development happens here,” Daigle said.
The board will include five to seven people who will represent a diverse group of disciplines, from finance to construction, as well as a mix of people from the public and administrative sides of the city.
“We don’t have the support structure that a lot of [cities] have,” Daigle said.
Old Town’s population is roughly the same as the city of Brewer, but Old Town doesn’t have positions such as an economic development director or city engineer to handle projects such as those being done at the municipal airport and Penny Road development.
The Airport Commerce Park at DeWitt Field is intended to be a low-impact industry, high-technology area.
The city currently is working with Oest Associates of South Portland on the design phase, which includes the road, entrance and infrastructure needs such as power, sewer and water.
Two portions of the property already have received permits for initial development by the Department of Environmental Protection.
Design work being done by James W. Sewall Co. of Old Town on the 120-acre Penny Road parcel also is moving forward, and the city is hoping to buy an additional 40 acres that will allow more suitable access to the University of Maine and more space for development.
The property has the potential to provide another means of entrance and exit to the university, which would help alleviate some traffic congestion on Stillwater Avenue.
“I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Daigle said. “I believe that having a vehicle to get these things done efficiently and effectively makes more and more sense.”
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