Voters on Monday will be asked to authorize the acceptance of a building that for decades was a shoe factory that anchored the town’s economy.
The proposal comes about two years after the Boston-headquartered shoemaking giant New Balance announced the closure of its 20 Depot St. facility. The company shifted its Norridgewock workers and operations to an expanded plant in Skowhegan.
Details of the talks between the town and New Balance became public last month. A third player at the table is Skowhegan-based Maine Grains, which is eyeing part of the building for a long-discussed expansion for a new food manufacturing equipment line.
Here are some key points to know before the vote.
What are voters being asked?
New Balance has offered to donate its 170,000-square-foot facility at 20 Depot St. to the town. Voters are being asked to authorize the Select Board to accept the donation of the 7.4-acre parcel.
Polls are scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Norridgewock Town Office, 16 Perkins St.
Town officials have emphasized the vote is simply to authorize the Select Board to accept the property, not to close the deal, or to move forward with the potential next step of spinning off part of the factory to Maine Grains. The Select Board, if voters give their authorization, will ultimately make those decisions.
In other words, the town could still back out from accepting the factory, even if voters give the green light Monday. And the authorization from voters would have nothing to do with any subsequent transaction with Maine Grains or other entities.
“A ‘yes’ vote means staying engaged and keeps the door open to new investment, jobs, and economic opportunity,” Town Manager Richard LaBelle said in a statement. “It also allows the Town to protect the interests of our taxpayers by engaging experienced professionals to evaluate the property, negotiate on the Town’s behalf, and ensure risks are carefully identified and managed throughout the process. Stepping away means the Town no longer has a seat at the table as decisions about the property’s future are made.”
What is the plan for the building?
In meetings and in materials distributed to town residents, officials have proposed splitting the building into three “condo”-style sections.
By the term condo, officials are not referring to condominium housing, but rather separately owned sections of the building. Owners would have agreements on utilities and maintenance of shared spaces.
Maine Grains is interested in approximately 50,000 square feet. LaBelle has said the town would likely give the company the space for $1, but details of that deal remain to be worked out.
What would happen with the rest of the facility remains to be determined. Town officials have discussed the possibility of moving the town office there as well as creating a new library space.
They are also in talks with commercial entities interested in occupying the space, although no companies have been named publicly.
“We have had serious interest,” LaBelle said Tuesday.
While any property owned by the town would come off the tax rolls, the portions owned by private entities would be taxed like any other property.
Why is Maine Grains interested?
The Skowhegan miller has for years been looking for a place to expand beyond its grist mill, which opened in 2012 in the former Somerset County jail in downtown Skowhegan.
The company has purchased a German-made $1.4 million production line, now in storage in Lewiston, and it needs a home.
The new equipment, technically known as a precision single screw extruder, would allow for the production of cereals, bars and other processed foods.
Maine Grains originally planned its expansion at the site of the former Kennebec Valley Inn at 42 Court St. in Skowhegan, adjacent to the grist mill. But the economics of building a new facility did not work out, said co-founder and CEO Amber Lambke.
Lambke turned her sights to the Northgate Industrial Park in Skowhegan last year. But the Skowhegan Economic Development Corp., which runs the park, ultimately decided against pursuing a sale.
The expansion would create 15 jobs, Lambke said. The company currently employs 20 people at its grist mill, and the affiliated Skowhegan restaurants, The Biergarten and The Miller’s Table, employ about 45 more, she said.
“This is a heavy lift, and we know it,” Lambke said in a statement. “But the right partners are at the table, the process is structured to protect the town, and there is a real opportunity for Norridgewock. We are committed to a win-win-win partnership with the Town and other future occupants of the building.”
Why doesn’t Maine Grains or another business buy the building?
New Balance offered the factory to the town. Corporate spokesperson Amy Dow has said at recent Select Board meetings that New Balance remains committed to Norridgewock and is excited about the prospect of manufacturing continuing at the facility.
Town officials have pointed to two main reasons why municipal ownership could be beneficial in the long run.
The first is the ability to tap potential funding sources for redevelopment.
For example, the town was part of a recent application for $8 million in Congressionally Directed Spending funds through the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and is known for her ability to secure earmarks for Maine projects. It was rejected due to the private ownership of the factory.
The second is that town ownership means officials and voters get some control over planning and future decisions for the site, aligning with their wishes and goals for the community.
Are there any costs to the town?
In June, the Select Board approved spending up to $35,000 from tax increment financing funds for the engineering firm Haley Ward to conduct a study of the property. The town, Maine Grains and New Balance are equally splitting the cost, estimated at between $90,000 and $100,000.
Officials hoped that assessment would be complete before the vote on authorizing the acceptance of the donation. But LaBelle said in a phone call Tuesday that appeared unlikely to happen.
New Balance, meanwhile, has offered to pay the estimated $200,000 to $225,000 in annual costs to maintain the now-vacant facility for two years.
Norridgewock resident Brad Farrin has offered to serve as the town’s consultant on the project, at a nominal cost of $1. The Select Board is expected to vote Wednesday on an agreement to proceed with Farrin’s services.
Farrin, a Republican state senator whose term ends this year, said he manages about 30 properties and facilities in six states for Milton CAT, a heavy equipment company. He said he approached town officials about helping, as the project aligns with his professional expertise and he has time to give back to his community with this year’s legislative session over.
“I think this could be a good opportunity for the town, but you can’t rush this,” Farrin said via telephone Tuesday. “There are lots of pieces of this.”
Farrin said he will be studying not only the condition of the factory and the negotiations with Maine Grains, but also the donation from New Balance. He noted New Balance’s offer of contributing carrying costs for two years is not yet firmed up in writing.
LaBelle said Farrin brings to the table “a huge depth of industry knowledge.” His role will focus on gathering facts for town officials to make decisions, LaBelle said, and will continue throughout the town’s involvement in the project on an as-needed basis.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Jake Freudberg can be reached at jfreudberg@centralmaine.com.