BRUNSWICK
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has leased a 7,800-square foot building at 180 Orion St. to the Brunswick Sewer District.
In exchange, MRRA will get operational and maintenance help in a deal valued at $30,000.
The agreement means the Sewer District will help manage and maintain the sewer infrastructure at Brunswick Landing while obtaining a facility for the town’s waste water treatment operations at the former base and in the Cook’s Corner section of Brunswick.
BSD will take up space in Building 153, previously used by the U.S. Navy as a recycling center. BSD will have six employees based at Brunswick Landing, officials said.
Because the building is on Brunswick Executive Airport property, Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit bartering or trades of services, said Robert Pontau Jr., Brunswick Sewer District’s assistant general manager.
Because the lease must show a dedicated revenue stream to support airport operations, MRRA and Brunswick Sewer District will sign two separate contracts worth a combined total of “just over $30,000 a year,” Pontau said.
“We haven’t signed the lease yet, we’re still waiting for details,” Pontau said Monday. “It’s not quite an offset because they can’t barter, but it’s two separate contracts that basically amount to the same thing.”
“One is for $18,000 in guaranteed work, and the other is for additional work that should bring it about to a wash,” he added.
Additionally, MRRA’s Board of Directors recently approved an additional contract with the Sewer District worth about $40,000 in spot repair work.
“That’s a separate contract, but it does help to give us some additional revenue in the budget to help offset the lease,” Pontau said.
Officials on both sides are calling it a “win-win situation” — MRRA gets the expertise and assistance of BSD in maintaining a sewer infrastructure, which MRRA still owns. MRRA leases an otherwise vacant building, and BSD gets a much needed facility to store vehicles and equipment.
“After seeing the facility, we knew it was a great fit,” Pontau said. “It makes sense for the District to have a satellite facility at Brunswick Landing. Many of our facilities are on the Cook’s Corner side of town and the location offers quick access to Topsham, where we also manage the collection system for the Topsham Sewer District.”
“We’re pleased to be able to help the Sewer District with their needs,” MRRA Executive Director Steve Levesque said in a news release. “We’ve developed an excellent working relationship with the BSD and we hope to continue what’s proven to be a great partnership.”
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