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V O L . X X I V N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 16 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 F O C U S Great Northern a century before. e Christmas tree lighting at the band- stand that year has come to symbolize the town's resurgence. Dave DeWitt, who spent 41 years at the mill, says there were people in town who knew even then what it would take to move forward. "Looking at things in a new way is what's going to make the town change," he remembers telling his son Sean, a founder and president of Our Katahdin. "ere ain't going to be any more paper-making." Efforts have included those little wins, not only in Millinocket, but in nearby Medway and in East Millinocket, whose mill closed in 2014. ey also include big things, like Our Katahdin buying the mill site for $1 in January 2017, taking on its $1.4 million IRS bill and another $160,000 owed to the town. Not just about the mill "One of the things we're doing is provid- ing a platform for community involve- ment," Van Hook, of Our Katahdin, says. e goal is to make the region "a nice fertile space," including a move to bring high-speed internet to the three towns. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E » T I M E L I N E C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 4 Every smile tells a story. And each one can say something powerful. As the nation's leading dental benefits provider, Delta Dental makes it easy to protect your smile and keep it healthy with the largest network of dentists nationwide, quick answers and personalized service. Learn more at NortheastDeltaDental.com. I GUESS THEY LIKE ME YOU LOOK AWFULLY FAMILIAR I CAN'T REPEAT IT BUT IT'S GOOD MY EMPLOYEES ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF IT'S TOO GOOD TO PUT DOWN THIS IS FUN, I THINK 2013: The town puts more than 60 tax-acquired homes on the market for bargain prices in an attempt to recoup tax revenue. February 2014: East Millinocket mill closes for good. August 2014: The iconic smokestacks and major buildings on the mill site come down; The New York Times publishes an article that says, "In some ways, the town seems as if it has frozen, with little economic growth to replace what was lost. It is hobbled by the isolation that was necessary to its founding." March 2014: The town seeks to raze at least 12 homes it couldn't sell. October, 2014: Urban planning consultant Charles Buki, of CZB LLC, Alexandria, Va., visits for a pro-bono assessment after reading the New York Times article. December 2014: Our Katahdin forms, a non-profit community- driven group that stresses "small wins" and crowdfunding; its first project is renovation of the Millinocket downtown bandstand in time for a Christmas lighting. January 2015: Buki writes an open letter, published in Downeast magazine, telling Millinocket "the days of good jobs with little education are over" and that the town has to "invest in yourselves, because if you don't, no one else will, nor should they." July-September 2015: The library closes for three months because of lack of funding; it reopens after a fundraising effort and an agreement to be run by the Friends of the Millinocket Memorial Library. August 2015: Katahdin Revitalization, a volunteer group focused on boosting the economy of Millinocket, East Millinocket and Medway, forms. December 2015: 52 runners take part in the first Millinocket Marathon, organized by Gary Allen of Mount Desert Island; in lieu of a registration fee, runners are asked to spend money in the Katahdin region. 2016: The town's population is estimated to be 4,299 December 2016: The Millinocket Marathon draws 552 runners and is the topic of a Runner's World article. Jan. 12, 2017: Nonprofit Our Katahdin buys the 1,400-acre mill site and other former mill property for $1, taking on a $1.4 million federal tax bill and $160,000 in back real estate taxes owed to the town. September 2017: Library gets $500,000 grant from Next Generation Foundation to help with $1.5 million renovation project. October 2017: Northern Forest Center announces plans to buy, renovate and rent out 10 houses in the downtown area as a workforce housing initiative. December 2017: Some 1,856 runners register for the third Millinocket marathon; about 1,000 former GNP workers in Millinocket and East Millinocket are paid a small portion of vacation, severance and pensions they earned at the two mills. February 2018: LignaCLT Maine, which aspires to be the state's first cross laminated timber producer, announces plans for a 100-job production plant at the mill site. June 18, 2018: Great Northern Paper Co.'s bankruptcy case ends with $203 million in assets abandoned; $15.5 million distributed to claimants; $302.8 million discharged without payment. S O U R C E S : Millinocket Historical Society; Bangor Daily News; Our Katahdin; Mainebiz