Demolition nearly done at former Eastern mill
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The smokestacks at the century-old Eastern Fine Paper Co. mill came down on Saturday after decades of use, and the final demolition work to change the old South Brewer mill into the Eastern Manufacturing Facility is under way.

"We’ve actually started constructing instead of ‘destructing,’" Steve Foster, Cianbro safety supervisor, said Tuesday. "More than 90 percent of the estimated mill demolition is complete."

Cianbro Corp., a Pittsfield construction company, is changing the old mill into a facility to construct building modules, or prefabricated, self-standing building skeletons that can be as tall as five stories and weigh up to 1,200 tons.

When operational, the facility will employ approximately 500 skilled laborers. The opening is expected in late March or early April.

The company was awarded a multimillion-dollar, 15-month contract in October for modules that will be used for a large refinery expansion project in Texas.

A major part of the redevelopment job is creating a deepwater Penobscot River bulkhead, which is on schedule despite the cold weather, Foster said. Nine steel sheet pile cells are being constructed to create the riverside bulkhead.

"That’s been going extremely well," he said "They’ve made significant progress in spite of the ice."

Dredging the river to make it deep enough to handle the heavy barges used to transport the modules and bring in supplies must be completed by Feb. 28 to avoid adverse impacts on fish, including short-nosed sturgeon and Atlantic salmon.

Work to renovate the historic administration building and the remaining warehouse is under way. The warehouse is located on the southern part of the 41-acre site.

"We’re now building stuff in there — a new tool room, and we’re installing windows and overhead doors and painting," Foster said.

"The next big thing that people will notice is the siding," he added. "We’re getting materials now and we’ll get started with that when the weather allows us."

The demolition debris that remains from the demolished 300,000-square-foot mill structure is being sorted for hauling and for the most part will be recycled, he said. The old power plant will remain for now, company officials have said.

Work on the massive pad that the modules will be built on is under way, with storm drains and the underground utilities already in place, Foster said. Construction on the heavy haul road, which will circle the pad and lead to the barge landing, will soon be started, he said.

New office trailers will be moved on-site later this month while the remainder of the renovations on the administration building are completed.

A new heating and air conditioning system is being installed, and new water lines and utilities have been added along with new bathrooms and an additional stairwell. The 100-plus-year-old building has also been brought up to code with a new sprinkler and alarm system, all while "trying to retain the character and the wood," Foster said.

Approximately 90 Cianbro workers are on-site, and subcontractors add another 60 or so, he said.

"We’re doing awesome on safety — still no injuries," Foster said.

Cianbro has create a Web site for the Eastern Manufacturing Facility, www.cianbroemf.com, which residents can use to apply for jobs or find out more about the project.

A copyright article from the Bangor Daily News, Wednesday, January 16, 2008.