BIDDEFORD — On Monday, Biddeford will see the last of the trucks hauling trash, the last of the plumes of smoke and smell the last of the noxious odors at the downtown incinerator, which has arguably been the most prominent business and building in the city, since it began operations more than 25 years ago.
Nov. 30 was a historic day, when City Manager John Bubier signed papers on behalf of the city to purchase the Maine Energy Recovery Company waste-to-energy incinerator from its parent company, Rutland, Vt.-based Casella Waste Systems.
But the last day of 2012 will be even more historic when operations cease at the facility that many blame for hindering growth in Biddeford’s downtown and mill district.
According to the agreement between the two parties, Biddeford will pay Casella $6.65 million, interest free, over 20 years.
The city will own the property, and next year, Casella will pay to tear down the Maine Energy facility; only the smokestack will remain.
City officials and mill owners heralded the impending closure of the facility as the dawning of a new era for Biddeford.
“This is a milestone for Biddeford and changes the city’s economic paradigm,” said Mayor Alan Casavant after the agreement was signed. “As mayor, I feel very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”
“There’s no looking back now,” said City Council President Rick Laverriere after the signing, “it’s full speed ahead” for the city.
Mill district property owners like Doug Sanford, owner of the Pepperell Mill Campus and North Dam Mill, as well as Greg Bennett and Chris Betjemann, owners of the Lincoln Mill, have all said since the announcement that Maine Energy was closing, there has already been more interest from companies that may want to move to their buildings.
Economic Development Director Daniel Stevenson said a number of investors have also expressed interest in the Maine Energy site.
However, he said, before considering offers, the city will first conduct a feasibility study to determine the best uses for the property.
The excitement of what may come, occurs after years of hard times for Biddeford’s downtown, in part because of Maine Energy’s presence.
The prominent location of the incinerator near the heart of the downtown has earned the city the moniker of “trash town.”
There are many anecdotes about businesses refusing to consider moving to Biddeford because of the incinerator, which was constructed in the 1980s.
At that time, it seemed like a good idea to many.
The city’s once vibrant downtown was desolate and many hoped the new industry would help Biddeford, which had been suffering since the closure of many of the city’s textile mills in the 1950s and 1960s.
Casavant, who was on city council at the time, said he remembered that Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Biddeford were all vying for the chance to host Maine Energy.
When it was built, he said, he didn’t anticipate that problems like odor, truck traffic and other issues would cause such a obstacle to the city’s growth.
But there was a small but passionate group who were concerned, especially about the potential health effects of the incinerator that excreted dioxins, which has been linked to forms of cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Most notably former Mayor Joanne Twomey, City Councilor Richard Rhames and Saco Mayor Mark Johnston fought for the facility’s closure for years.
Eventually, as more people began to link the lack of growth in the downtown with Maine Energy, there was a greater push for closure.
The city came close to closing the incinerator or at least eliminating some of the problems associated with it a couple of times.
There was a referendum in 2005, during the administration of former Mayor Wallace Nutting, to pay $30 million for the facility, with $10 million to come from Biddeford, which failed.
In 2009-10, a governor’s task force explored the idea of retrofitting the plant to burn waste pellets. That failed when Twomey, who was mayor at the time, pulled out of the task force because of concerns that environmental problems would continue.
This time around, it was Casella that made the first move.
Casella wants to get out of the incineration business, said company spokesman Joe Fusco.
Once the facility ceases operations, Biddeford will take its trash to a Casella-owned transfer station in Westbrook.
Eventually, Casella hopes to take that waste to the Juniper Ridge Landfill, located in Old Town, which is owned by the state and operated by the company.
Casella has not announced where trash will end up in the interim.
Another result of the agreement between Casella and Biddeford is that the city will also institute its first curbside pickup recycling program on July 1.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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