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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 A U G U S T 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E How many boiler repair calls did you make last winter? An efficient heating system can reduce energy costs as well as save you downtime, headaches and repair calls. Ask your contractor about instant discounts on efficient systems. efficiencymaine.com 866-376-2463 Ask your contractor about instant discounts on efficient systems. efficiencymaine.com Millinocket's road to recovery I n an open letter to Millinocket in January 2015, urban planning consul- tant Charles Buki challenged the town to fi nd new innovative ways to build its econ- omy. Some of that is covered in this edi- tion's article about the town's turnaround since the Great Northern Paper Co. mill closed in September 2008. Revitalization efforts include: ¡ Housing: The Northern Forest Center buys distressed downtown houses, fi xes them up and rents them out to provide workforce housing for the town's largest employer, Millinocket Regional Hospital, and other businesses. ¡ Downtown development: Nonprofit Our Katahdin in 2016 bought 230 Penobscot Ave., which was once Miller's, the town's biggest department store. A brownfi elds grant has cleaned up the two-story building and plans are for coworking space and more. ¡ Outdoors tourism: The Millinocket Marathon, started by Gary Allen of Mount Desert Island in December 2015, was designed to bring attention to the town as well as help boost its economy. It's grown from 52 runners its fi rst year to more than 1,800. ¡ Broadband: A regional broadband initiative received a ConnectME Community Planning grant and Our Katahdin hired Axiom Technologies to create the plan. ¡ Collaboration: Katahdin Revitalization, a volunteer effort, works to enhance and provide direct services to build community, promote cultural and community assets, encourage economic development and improve the overall quality of life throughout the Katahdin Region. T ransition is one of the themes of this focus on Bangor and northern Maine. Millinocket's transition has taken place over the past decade, since Greater Northern Paper Co. closed the paper mill there (see Page 14). Limestone's Loring Commerce Centre is the reinvention of former Loring Air Force Base, which closed in 1994 and is now an industrial and business park (Page 12). The two Aroostook County campuses of the University of Maine are responding to the need for more nurses, itself a transition as many of the current nurses retire (Page 18). Bangor's transition is a bit more subtle, but the addition of a new Bangor Savings Bank headquarters is likely to have a major impact on the downtown, creating a book- end for the downtown while connecting the entertainment district (Page 20) F O C U S S TA R T S O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » T When opportunity knocks T he census tract that includes Loring Commerce Centre and Limestone was designated in May as an Opportunity Zone, making it possible for investors to invest in qualifi ed projects and receive favorable tax treatment on capital gains. "The word on Opportunity Zones is just fi ltered out," says Dennis McCartney, economic development coordinator at the Limestone Development Foundation. "Investor dollars are going to be sought by many zones. I want to make sure Loring and Limestone are at the top of the heap." To that end, McCartney set up opportunity- zone.me and cranked up search engine optimization. McCartney says he and the Loring Development Authority have already been contacted by investors interested in redeveloping an existing multi-family apartment complex at Loring, plus two poten- tial manufacturing opportunities. Aroostook County's designation as a U.S. Small Business Administration Historically Underutilized Business Zone, or HUBZone, might also benefi t Loring businesses, McCartney notes. The designation allows companies to gain preferential access to government contracting opportunities. 230 Penobscot Ave., purchased by Our Katahdin in 2016. P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N

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