EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — For Board of Selectmen Chair Michael Michaud and many East Millinocket residents, the Great Northern Paper mill has always been a part of life.
"I worked here for almost 30 years; my dad worked here for 43 years, my grandfather for 40 years, so it's generations," Michaud said while standing outside the old building he used to spend hours in.
When the mill shut down 10 years ago though, the blow was immense. "It really hit the community and the region very hard," Michaud said.
But with the help of organizations like the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority (MRLBA), Michaud is working to transform the form mill. The town owns the site and plans to turn it into a space where businesses can thrive.
From a PFAS treatment center to a solar panel production company, Michaud said there has been plenty of interest from companies which could allow for a variety of occupations that the former mill lacked.
"The job opportunity is very diverse, from wood to truck driving to technical work," Michaud said.
Beyond the commercial aspect, there is also a focus on dedicating part of the land for community-focused use. Director of the MRLBA Tuck O'Brien said he's working with the town to allocate space for municipal buildings and housing.
"You have other portions of the site where there's potential to put municipal buildings and housing," O'Brien said.
A project Debora Roundtree, resident and executive director of Rural Development Initiatives for East Millinocket’s Katahdin Higher Education Center, says could bring hundreds of jobs to the Katahdin region.
"It's an opportunity for anyone that wants to see work and anybody that's willing to be trained in a new profession to take advantage of that," and also be the start of something that could benefit everyone, "It's the first time in a long time that the region has had hope," Roundtree said.
As the town looks ahead, Michaud said the main priority is securing more grants to further fund the renovation and redevelopment of the mill site.