LUBEC, Maine — An old, dilapidated cannery building on Route 189 in Lubec will be coming down this summer, thanks to a $400,000 federal environmental cleanup grant.
The funding will help to clean up the dangerous site, open a scenic vista overlooking Johnson Bay and create a trail to the beach for the public to enjoy, according to local officials.
The cannery went out of business in the 1960s, and the building is falling in on itself, said John Sutherland, Lubec’s town administrator.
“The [cannery] site has been recognized as an issue for some time,” he said. “You’ve got this big blemish on the road into town.”
Large pieces of concrete are held in place only with small pieces of rebar, and these could fall in at any time. Asbestos roofing is another concern.
“We put a fence around the property to keep onlookers and people away for their own safety,” Sutherland said. “It’s gradually become worse and worse.”
The town twice applied for brownfields grants through the federal Environmental Protection Agency and succeeded last year with the EPA award announced in May. Funding became available in the fall, and the engineering and project management firm of Amec Foster Wheeler was hired to oversee the work.
“This building looks like a war zone,” said D. Todd Coffin, a senior project manager with Amec Foster Wheeler in Portland.
As the concrete structure is demolished, some of the material will be crushed and used as fill to stabilize the shore on the property, he said. The concrete fill then will be covered with clean material and stone that matches the stone found in the area.
Another part of the project involves the Lubec Historical Society building, located on the same property but a short distance away at 135 Main St., which used to be the factory store. It will be moved about 15 feet to the right so that crews can clean up an oil spill from about 10 or 15 years ago, Coffin said.
Combined with about $40,000 of matching funds or in-kind contributions from the town, the EPA grant should cover all the costs of the demolition and cleanup, he said.
Work is slated to begin in May or June and is expected to take six to eight weeks to complete. Coffin said officials hope to have it done by July 4, which is the peak of tourist season.
Sutherland said he realistically expects the project will be completed in August.
“It would be great if it could be done by the Fourth [of July], but I’d rather see it done correctly,” he said.
Barbara Sellitto, president of the Lubec Historical Society, said she is excited about the work to be done on both sites, but especially at the former factory store, where the historical society has been housed since 1989, she said.
At that building, crews will construct a new basement, which will be accessible by car to bring in displays. The site will have better parking and also will have a trail that runs to the shore, Coffin said.
The factory store, which was constructed in the 1900s, will be moved with everything inside. The five rooms of historical displays will not be taken down for the move, Coffin said.
Sellitto said the improvements at the cannery site will show off the natural beauty of the location.
“People don’t know how beautiful that site is,” she said.
The EPA also requires grantees to engage in community outreach and education.
To meet that requirement, 13 seventh-graders in Larry Jones’ math class at Lubec Middle School will get the chance to do some hands-on engineering work.
Jones and his students will be given a site map for both the cannery and historical society building so they can calculate slopes and decide how best to lay out both sites.
“Kids very seldom understand the real world applications of math,” Coffin said.
“I think it’s going to be a good experience for them,” said Jones.
Jones also said he was pleased that one of the three engineers who will be working with the students is female.
“It’s good for the girls to see,” he said, because engineering is a field dominated by men.
A public meeting on the project is set to take place at 6 p.m. March 31 at the Lubec town office, 40 School St. The goal of the meeting is to get public input on the project, said Coffin.
Area residents will have the opportunity to review the draft plan and ask questions or express concerns about items such as traffic, noise and dust, he said.