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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 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 One of the biggest wins is the library, which closed for three months in 2015 when the town ran out of money to operate it. It reopened after an emergency $0,000 fundraising campaign. e library is now gearing up for a $1.5 million renovation, sparked by a $500,000 Next Generation Foundation grant. e library has also opened Gearhub downtown, which lends its 29 mountain bikes to anyone with a library card, and has workshops, training and informa- tion on where to bike. Library Director Matt DeLaney says the program is a way for the library to be part of downtown's growth while also enriching the com- munity. While it may seem an odd function for a library, it fi ts, he says. "When communities fall on hard times, that's when libraries become most important," he says. "It's the mission of a library to enrich lives, empower, inspire and build the community." A new attitude, identity Much of the focus is on attracting young people who will help grow and sustain the economy. Our Katahdin's Van Hook is one of those transplants. She moved to town in 2015. " ere defi nitely was a sense of despair," she says. Soon, though, she noticed, " ere were new conversa- tions happening. ere were these cracks of light." DeLaney and his wife, Emily, lived in upstate New York, and he was looking for a library director job in an area with a slow pace and outdoors opportunities, but where he could also make a diff erence. "When we saw Millinocket, there was no question," he says. ey fell in love with the area's beauty, but he also liked the challenge. "I'd never been to a place where its identity seemed so clear, then it's shat- tered," he says. Millinocket had a new story to tell and he could be part of it. e resurgence, though, is largely on the shoulders of those already in town. On a recent day, Sanders, DeWitt and Paul Carney, who is in charge of maintaining the mill site, contemplate the massive Paper Machine 11 building. Built in 1971, it's one of the few structures left — 140,000 square feet of steel and concrete. One Katahdin is hoping to fi nd a new user. As the men discussed the years since the mill closed, they say the biggest change they see is attitude. "You don't hear the negative talk," DeWitt says. "People are opening businesses, things are going to happen, and people are seeing that." " ere was a desire to come back in some way," Sanders says. " ere's an unbelievable connection for people who grew up in this place. People were willing, they just needed to be shown it could be done." M M, Mainebiz staff writer, can be reached at @ . The University of Maine is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Providing the resources and support businesses need to grow and succeed. Susan MacKay, CEO of Cerahelix, has worked with the University of Maine to bring her cutting-edge research to market and find the talented workforce she needs to grow her business. She now employs 12 and is expanding her facilities in Orono and Bangor. Learn more about how UMaine can help you and your business. umaine.edu/econdev Great Northern Paper Co. closed its paper mill in September 2008, setting in motion 10 years of change in Millinocket (though some of the manufacturing equipment is still there). P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a I'd never been to a place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity place where its identity seemed so clear, then it's shattered. — Matt DeLaney Millinocket library director

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