BIDPA MEMBERS
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STAFF
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Richard Huot, Chair |
Norm Charest, Economic Dev. Director |
Andre Duchesne |
Pamela Laflamme, City Planner |
Paul Lozier |
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Don Huot |
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Mike Caron |
City Councilor Diana Nelson, Ex-Officio |
Liz Ward, by phone |
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Terry Block and Jerry Dumoulin were excused for the evening.
Liz Ward called into the meeting at 6:15PM
Others present: Barbara Tetreault, Berlin Daily Sun
The board meeting began at 6:00 P.M.
Minutes:
Motion – Mr. Lozier made a motion to accept the minutes Mr. Duchesne seconded the motion, and all voted in favor. There were two corrections noted, first the date of the minutes was actually October 17, and second, Norm Charest should have been listed as present at the meeting. Mr. Lozier, with a second from Mr. Caron, amended the minutes and approved as amended.
Financial Report:
Mr. Dumoulin was excused for the evening. Chair Huot went over the record of payments schedule in the packets. There was one question, about the Salmon Press expense that showed it was a Health Department expense, Ms. Laflamme will look into it. Mr. Caron motioned to approve the report, Mr. Huot seconded the motion, all were in favor.
Sabbow & Company Request – Don Piper:
Mr. Charest introduced Mr. Piper to the group. Mr. Piper explained that the business is exceeding its expectations and they need more space. The space is already inadequate for their purposes. They already have 250 tons of granite stored in the space. They would have liked to expand right on the site to the south. Mr. Piper has been working on this with the Mr. Charest and the idea was to expand at least 10,000 square feet. However, it seems that they would outgrow that space quickly as well. They are interested in purchasing a lot from BIDPA and constructing a new building on the parcel that would be about 40,000 square feet.
Discussion ensued about the options and what would likely be the best option to start looking at. There was a discussion about grant sources & funding for the construction of a new building. There was a discussion about available lots in the park.
Mr. Piper asked the board to keep this in mind. He would be talking with the company and would get back to us when there was a decision made at the company.
Economic Director’s Report:
Mr. Charest asked if there were any questions about his report. A short discussion ensued about the Maynesboro Industrial Park statistics report (see attached). The Council will receive a copy of the report Monday. Mr. Charest already gave an oral presentation to the Council last week that was well received.
Motion:
Mr. Huot motioned to accept the report, Mr. Lozier seconded the report, all voted in favor.
Spec Building:
Mr. Charest had no new updates about the project. Mr. Caron discussed he had researched some estimates for a new building. Mr. Charest then went over an estimate that had been done by Couture Construction for an addition of approximately 11,000 square feet that was just under one million dollars. The board discussed the variables in pricing, types of buildings, etc. The board discussed the interest in Lot 9 (3.87 acres, Map 140 Lot 19) from various entities and the importance of supporting local companies with growth expansion. The board will wait to see the progress of the various companies before any decisions are made.
Maynesboro Industrial Building:
There were no new updates.
Route 110 RFP update: Ms. Laflamme updated the board about the status of the car-recycling project with Charles Isaacson. The board asked for a more definitive timeline from the company. Ms. Laflamme will ask CI to have plan with a decision by the first of the year. Mr. Charest pointed out that there was still interest in the property. He also shared with the board that there were abutters that wanted to know more about the property.
Purchase of Maynesboro Industrial Park Lot 9:
Mr. Charest indicated that one of the companies looking at the lot is still interested, but is also looking at a few other locations.
Global Corporate Xpansion:
GCX is a publication and website that is a trade publication that has approached BIDPA to see if the board wanted to advertise in its next issue. Mr. Charest left it to the board to decide whether to list BIDPA in the magazine. The cost of the listing is $350.00. Chair Huot stated he thought it was worthwhile. A short discussion was had by the board.
Motion:
Mr. Lozier made a motion, with a second from Mr. Huot to go ahead and put the listing in the next issue. Mr. Caron voted in the negative, the remainder of the board voted in the affirmative. Mr. Caron expressed to the board that he wanted to do more research. Mr. Charest will do some further research about the listing.
Feasibility Study Update:
Ms. Laflamme updated the board about the study. It has been completed. Chair Huot, Mr. Block, and Mr. Charest have reviewed and approved the final version of the study. The board will have the final copy at the December meeting. The board discussed how the land purchase was moving forward with Georgia Pacific. Mr. Charest shared some information with the board that was given to him by Andre Caron, the housing coordinator regarding Brownfield properties. There was a short discussion on the matter.
Other:
Ms. Laflamme talked with the board about the website. She will give the board a presentation at the December meeting.
Ms. Laflamme asked about the meeting at Mountain Tire. Mr. Charest informed the board that they will meet at Mountain Tire for the December meeting.
With no other business before the board Mr. Lozier motioned to adjourn, Mr. Caron seconded the motion and all were in favor. The board adjourned at 7:30 PM.
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