SANFORD — Rex Bell held out a length of lumber. It is long-leaf, yellow pine, he said, milled from one of 100 old, wooden columns that once stood inside the Sanford Mill.

The mill had been empty and silent for a long time, until a year or so ago when workers began transforming the former industrial space into apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows, rosy, exposed brick, and character that comes with an eye toward history.

The columns weren’t needed, as there was no longer any heavy equipment on the floors, but the wood was too good to discard. So Bell and Josh Benthien, both of Northland Enterprises, LCC, owners of the mill, went looking for someone to mill it. They found Deadhead Lumber Company, headquartered in Scarborough, which transformed the lumber into flooring.

“We retained as much of the historic fabric of the building as possible,” said Bell.

The mill, built in 1915 to replace the old wooden Goodall mills, will serve their new purpose soon, as the goal is to have occupancy permits in hand by Aug. 15, said Benthien. After that, folks renting the 36 apartments and the two tenants signed up for commercial space will begin moving in.

More than 200 people are on the waiting list for the two studio apartments, two two-bedroom apartments and 32 one-bedroom units on the second and third floors of the 60,000-square-foot mill, said Benthien. The company has hired Preservation Management of South Portland to manage the rental units, and they’ll be contacting prospective tenants soon.

The project began some years ago and is seen as the cornerstone of Sanford’s mill development. The city took the property by eminent domain from its previous owner over blight issues in 2008. Environmental assessment and cleanup ensued, and the city sold the mill to Northland Enterprises, LLC, as originally planned, once that wrapped up.

“I drive by every day,” said Mayor Maura Herlihy. “I’m excited about the activity.”

She said the refurbished mill building, the coming creation of Gateway Park on nearby River Street and the relatively new roadway through the millyard are all positive signs and may be a catalyst for development of the lower level of the nearby Mid-Town Mall.

“It feels like everyone is a winner,” said Bell, pointing out that the old mill has been saved, there are new housing choices, and the project created a number of construction jobs.

Bell took note of the city’s drive to revitalize the downtown and millyard.

“I’m optimistic this will make a difference in the downtown area,” he said.

He and Benthien had originally thought it would take eight months to fill all of the residential units.

“We should be full in a month,” he said.

So far, Saundarya Salon and Day Spa and Gentiva Health have leased space on the ground floor of the old mill, but there is room for additional commercial tenants, and Bell and Benthien said there has been interest. On a tour of the mill Tuesday, Bell pointed to a space that will become a courtyard, noting that a restaurant could provide outside seating there, nestled alongside the Mousam River.

On Tuesday, workers were busy inside and outside, but some residential units were close to completion.

A gym and library area is planned on the residential floors, along with an onsite laundry, though some units will have laundry hook-ups. Heat, hot water and Wi-Fi will be included, and a city-owned parking lot leased by the mill owners is being constructed at the rear of the structure.

Each living area has unique features, though there are some commonalties, such as the exposed brick, those floor-to-ceiling windows, which will come with blackout curtains, and 16- to 18-foot ceilings. The configuration of space is different in each unit, however. The two studio units are big, at 1,300 square feet. One other unit has a bonus room created in an old elevator shaft.

Transforming the mill came with challenges: It turned out that some of the original floors were rotten and had to be replaced. A new roof was required ”“ when the company acquired the structure, rainwater would end up in the basement ”“ and as with any old building, there are always a few surprises.

In all, the price tag for renovation is expected to come in at about $12 million, about $1.5 million more than the original estimate, said Benthien.

The project was financed through the proceeds from the sale of historic tax credits, $3.7 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization funds, financing from lenders and developer equity, said Bell.

The Neighborhood Stabilization funding means eight of the units will be rented for less than $600 a month, said Benthien. The other units will range from about $900 to $1,200 a month, depending on the size.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or [email protected].