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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 4 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S G R E A T E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E Recent Katahdin Region Big wins East Millinocket Mill site In July, the town of East Millinocket closed on a $1.4 million deal to buy the former Great Northern Paper Co. LLC mill site. The mill closed in 2014; the town and local partners had been working on the deal for more than a year. The site will be developed as an industrial complex, with some potential tenants expected as soon as January. Millinocket Mill site The infrastructure buildout at the former Great Northern Paper mill site in Millinocket began a second phase in July and includes improvements to the onsite power grid, data transmission, sewer and water systems, roads and rail. The work is funded by a $5.36 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that was awarded in 2018, but wasn't accessible until last year, when a tax lien on the former owners was resolved. Funding also includes a $1.34 million financing commitment from Maine Rural Development Authority and Maine Technology Institute, finalized in June; $850,000 from the EPA; $216,000 from Maine Development Foundation; and $200,000 from Northern Borders Regional Commission. Katahdin Woods & Waters The national monument was designated in May as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the second one in the National Park System, the first in New England and the 13th worldwide. While it may seem like a nice environmental tribute, it has economic force. The designation highlights the area's lack of congestion and light pollution, significant for many who enjoy outdoors recreation. The site is also directly under the path of the April 2024 total solar eclipse, and Mike Elliott, Katahdin Region economic development director, said the area is already brainstorming ways to accommodate the expected crowds. Penobscot River Trails Penobscot River Trails, along the East Branch of the Penobscot River, opened in February 2019 after three years of construction. The site, on 5,000 acres in Grindstone, developed by the Butler Conservation Fund, has 15.5 miles of mountain bike and groomed cross-country ski trails, 10 miles of snowshoe trails, carriage trails laid with crusher dust, a visitor center with a wood-burning stove and heated restrooms and warming huts. But Elliott says that they can't wait for the big things to happen, but must still push for the smaller ones, busi- ness by business. When Eastern Maine Development Corp. created Elliott's position in early 2019, the goal was to draw the region together and focus on economic devel- opment. Elliott says the towns and development organizations are building coalitions that are seeing results. A lot of it has to do with the basics. Several local groups last year put together a business resource with the Small Business Administration to let the towns and their business know what's available, but also to help forge the networking process. "We realized that there's not a lot of difference between the eight communities," Peggy Daigle, East Millinocket's selectman chair, said at the time. "We all benefit from one community being successful." Working together, working hard It was uncharted territory in many ways, but it's catching on. "People have been working together bit by bit," Elliott says. FlyBangor.com C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y P E N O B S C O T R I V E R T R A I L S F I L E P H O T O

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