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V O L . X X V I I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 2 3 , 2 0 2 1 14 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 an additional paper overlay that is impregnated with primer. e assembly then goes into a press, which has a spe- cially made plate that's textured to look like cedar siding. Resin and wax are the adhesive that hold the assembly together. e assembly comes off the press as a sheet that's further trimmed and finished. Aspen, a hardwood, is consid- ered ideal for the product due to its strength-to-weight ratio and its sus- tainability, said Whitney. "Aspen will regenerate from its own roots," he said. "And in Northern Maine, there's not a lot of competition for aspen" due to the industry's primary focus on softwoods such as spruce, fir and pine. Aspen suppliers range from large corporate owners to small family- owned operations. Over 99% of the wood is utilized in the product, with the rest used for biofuel. Mill conversion e conversion includes adding a 90,000-square-foot facility that will house new equipment to trim and finish the siding. Part of an existing building, where logs are received for debarking and conditioning, will be demolished and replaced. e project's general contractor is Miron Construction, headquartered in Neenah, Wis., which has worked with Louisiana-Pacific Corp. on simi- lar conversions. Stantec, headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, is providing engineering services. e facility's 60-foot-long press, built in 1981, is in the process of a rebuild that includes installation of new components such as controls and pressing plates. Other machinery will be added, includ- ing a new debarker, saws, paint booth, drying oven and packaging equipment. LP Houlton will stop production in the fourth quarter of 2021 in order to finish site construction. It's expected the facility will be back online as a SmartSide mill by the end of Q1 2022. "We'll do a lot of training while we're down," said Whitney. "Every employee will go through several rounds of train- ing, especially around quality. is is an appearance product. It goes on the out- side of a house and will be the first thing you'll see as you go into someone's drive- way. We have to make sure there are no blemishes or bleed-through spots." As one of Aroostook County's larg- est employers, LP Houlton increased its workforce substantially through 2020. A year ago, it employed just over 100 people working five days a week. Due to Is your cooling system struggling to keep up? Worried your heating system won't make it through another winter? Do some rooms never feel comfortable? EFFICIENCYMAINE.COM 866-376-2463 Now is the time to upgrade to a high-performance system that can meet both your cooling and heating needs. Reduce energy costs. Improve comfort. Incentives are available for heat pump and variable refrigerant flow systems. Speak with your contractor to see which solution is right for your building. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D Iron workers at the Louisiana-Pacific Corp. mill in New Limerick

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