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• Anonymous

  get r done

• Anonymous

  It sounds like the ground work is being laid, that the new company will only have enough wood to only run two machines?

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1187863003 Robin Earley Lyford

  Okay if you all believe this B.S. I’ve got some ocean front property I’d love to sell ya in Arizona.

• Anonymous

  Medwayone… seriously ? We need to have lunch and a chat down by the bridge on 157.  Because otherwise I might believe you have been drinking the kool aid… seriously!

• Anonymous

  Lollipopaddict do you really think these people are going to run both mills? I don’t but I hope I’m wrong on this, I really do. 

• http://twitter.com/z_gryphon Ben Hutchins

  Wow, Nick.  Congrats on that lede.  That’s one painful pun you’ve slipped in there. :)

• Anonymous

  No doubt something will happen, Truly it matters not. These towns will survive regardless. Let’s just get this over with once and for all.

• Anonymous

  I know of an investor who is offering much more $$ to buy the whole outfit with intention to run East and cut up Millinocket. Why is this prospect not being considered??

• Anonymous

  This is shaping up as a very bad deal for Maine.   The state buys the landfill and now the sticking point is for the state to somehow deliver a cheap sources of raw materials.

  Since the state cannot force landowners to sell at a certain price the next step will be to ensure that any wages paid to workers at the mills will be minium wage or close to it.  Saving mill jobs that cannot or will not pay living wages is only a short term economic fix and that in the end leave the area poorer than we are now.

  These mills are gone.  Everyone needs to let them let go and find new opportunities and new directions.  We should embrace the national park.  If anyone doubts what a park can do should go West and see the towns that are thriving that are located close to or next to parks.  These are not just low wage tourist jobs.  There are construction jobs and small manufacturing.   This is the future.

• Anonymous

  I will agree with you tourism is the future.. however a national park is not BEST solution to how to draw tourists to the area.  A large majority of the tourists that would come to a national park already come to the are for Baxter Park and the mountain.

• Anonymous

  It’s time for LePage to come to the rescue again!  Penquin can order all our public reserve lots stripped and give the wood to the new chinese owners.  It’s the least Penquin can do as our “business friendly” governor.

• Anonymous

  Consider this an Economic Stimulus Package that will be repaid by local income tax. Pumping money in is not a lose/lose situation if the recipients are motivated. That’s a fact jack.

• Anonymous

  I have no idea that what means. 

• Anonymous

  I have no idea that what means. 

• Anonymous

  I no doubt assumed you wouldn’t. Buying the landfill which will end up on the state’s doorstep anyway, only serves to spur economic growth. Without the landfill to worry about, which will again be Maine’s responsibility eventually, we can move on.

• poormaniac

  The article says that Mr. Clark says there’s not enough wood in one paragraph and that “we are being told ” in another paragraph.  Makes it sound like Herbie is just another vote seeking politician talking out of both sides of his mouth. Does anyone know him well enough to clarify this for me ?

• poormaniac

  The article says that Mr. Clark says there’s not enough wood in one paragraph and that “we are being told ” in another paragraph.  Makes it sound like Herbie is just another vote seeking politician talking out of both sides of his mouth. Does anyone know him well enough to clarify this for me ?

• poormaniac

  The article says that Mr. Clark says there’s not enough wood in one paragraph and that “we are being told ” in another paragraph.  Makes it sound like Herbie is just another vote seeking politician talking out of both sides of his mouth. Does anyone know him well enough to clarify this for me ?

• poormaniac

  The article says that Mr. Clark says there’s not enough wood in one paragraph and that “we are being told ” in another paragraph.  Makes it sound like Herbie is just another vote seeking politician talking out of both sides of his mouth. Does anyone know him well enough to clarify this for me ?

• poormaniac

  The article says that Mr. Clark says there’s not enough wood in one paragraph and that “we are being told ” in another paragraph.  Makes it sound like Herbie is just another vote seeking politician talking out of both sides of his mouth. Does anyone know him well enough to clarify this for me ?

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• Anonymous

  I did not understand because it made no sense and your explanation makes even less sense.  No offense intended, but the landfill does not have to land on Maine’s doorstep. We are doing that for hope that it will keep well-paying manufacturing jobs here.  But, it will not.  All this does is to relieve a foreign corporation of its obligation for the landfill for a promise of jobs.  Jobs that will very likely pay a wage that many will find hard to live on.

  A better solution is too the foreign pay to cap the landfill and for Maine to invest its few dollars in a new oppportunities.  This can work.  Whether its a national park or national forest makes no difference and I prefer a national forest.  This will allow Maine and the Millinocket region to better determine its own future. 

• http://startworkingonline.blogspot.com/ Rory Mullen

  Utilize the mill to produce and distribute Hemp

• Anonymous

  Greed and political alliances with green groups will always hinder progress, but not stop it.

  Those politicians that do decide to align themselves with Brookfield or Quimby will enjoy a short lived political career…!

• Anonymous

  Greed and political alliances with green groups will always hinder progress, but not stop it.

  Those politicians that do decide to align themselves with Brookfield or Quimby will enjoy a short lived political career…!

• Anonymous

  Yes, I do know him and you have it right. He needs to look
  good for it is almost time for the parades. Go to any local parade this summer
  and you will see; Mike(mill worker) Michaud, Steve (follow them all) Stanley
  and Herbie (Gene Conlogue’s boy) Clark) and if you look real close you may also
  see little Joey Clark at the kool-aid stand.

  These are the very people who have put the past and present deals together on
  these mills and have put this area in this place. So think it over the next
  time they want a hand shake, or a vote…

   

• Anonymous

  There is plenty of wood if they are just willing to PAY for it. They might have the towns held hostage but the woods operations have found other buyers.

• Anonymous

  There is plenty of wood if they are just willing to PAY for it. They might have the towns held hostage but the woods operations have found other buyers.

• Anonymous

  There is plenty of wood if they are just willing to PAY for it. They might have the towns held hostage but the woods operations have found other buyers.

• Anonymous

  There is plenty of wood if they are just willing to PAY for it. They might have the towns held hostage but the woods operations have found other buyers.

• Anonymous

  There is plenty of wood if they are just willing to PAY for it. They might have the towns held hostage but the woods operations have found other buyers.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DV5OWUMO4JWKERNIDEIYDWWJQY Luise

  Everytime these mills are sold they come with less and less assets.  Weird isn’t the company that sold the mills but kept the land are the ones to profit now.  Don’t forget the company that sold the mills but kept the energy.  As a mill alone, without a huge investment to modernize, it will be sold again in a few years, but I don’t know what left’s to keep.  Time for Millinocket to look at other things and stop hanging their hat on these mills.  Won’t be the first town in Maine to do this.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DV5OWUMO4JWKERNIDEIYDWWJQY Luise

  Everytime these mills are sold they come with less and less assets.  Weird isn’t the company that sold the mills but kept the land are the ones to profit now.  Don’t forget the company that sold the mills but kept the energy.  As a mill alone, without a huge investment to modernize, it will be sold again in a few years, but I don’t know what left’s to keep.  Time for Millinocket to look at other things and stop hanging their hat on these mills.  Won’t be the first town in Maine to do this.

• Anonymous

  It’s disturbing that each town near the mills blames the other town …then even further out people as far away as Bangor and beyond blame the workers and their own neighbors…fight and talk badly about the people that actually worked and paid taxes. When all the while it is probably not our neighbors but the fault of Brookfield. The corruption on Wall Street was the same as the corruption in the Maine woods we are witnessing. They bought the Mill and the Dams….then separated them from the Mill…formed a separate “Katahdin Paper LLC” so that they could later shut down the Mill. The next step is most likely to CONTINUE to further discourage buyers from buying the Mill…then file bankruptcy so that Maine Taxpayers will have to inherit the Landfill…and the expense of the cleanup. People in the “know” …know that the mill made money…but all the while Brookfield fixed the books so that it looks as though they did not make money…using Wall Street accounting. While all this was going on…trucks were lugging off assets to other mills…that were in $ sense worth millions, and any profit was paid out to a managing company, that were “in real” our competitors from Canada as an “expense”. If our political leaders in the State of Maine wanted to be great and put a justifiable end to this situation..they would link the dams back to the Mill, which would all of a sudden be a very profitable company again, and “create” jobs. There is no other way to stop the ethically incorrect actions of a greedy 100 billion dollar company who is taking advantage of hard working people in the towns and state….a company that has no conscience…..a company driven by how big a profit they can make…..who will do it “because they can”….a company who will steal from the livelihood of Maine if our leaders in the state of Maine let them.

• Anonymous

  It’s disturbing that each town near the mills blames the other town …then even further out people as far away as Bangor and beyond blame the workers and their own neighbors…fight and talk badly about the people that actually worked and paid taxes. When all the while it is probably not our neighbors but the fault of Brookfield. The corruption on Wall Street was the same as the corruption in the Maine woods we are witnessing. They bought the Mill and the Dams….then separated them from the Mill…formed a separate “Katahdin Paper LLC” so that they could later shut down the Mill. The next step is most likely to CONTINUE to further discourage buyers from buying the Mill…then file bankruptcy so that Maine Taxpayers will have to inherit the Landfill…and the expense of the cleanup. People in the “know” …know that the mill made money…but all the while Brookfield fixed the books so that it looks as though they did not make money…using Wall Street accounting. While all this was going on…trucks were lugging off assets to other mills…that were in $ sense worth millions, and any profit was paid out to a managing company, that were “in real” our competitors from Canada as an “expense”. If our political leaders in the State of Maine wanted to be great and put a justifiable end to this situation..they would link the dams back to the Mill, which would all of a sudden be a very profitable company again, and “create” jobs. There is no other way to stop the ethically incorrect actions of a greedy 100 billion dollar company who is taking advantage of hard working people in the towns and state….a company that has no conscience…..a company driven by how big a profit they can make…..who will do it “because they can”….a company who will steal from the livelihood of Maine if our leaders in the state of Maine let them.

• Anonymous

  We all know that Brookfield, Michaud, and Quimby want to do nothing more than depopulate the area, but it starts with building on other manufacturing markets, voting out the same-old corrupt politicians, and not allowing some liberal la-la land to further reduce the tax base.

• Anonymous

  Regretfully you’re right…

• Anonymous

  Regretfully you’re right…

• Anonymous

  Diversified manufacturing is the most logical approach.

  I am not saying an end to wood products, but more than just paper products.

• Anonymous

  While I don’t always agree with Herbie, I do speak with him a couple times a week. Herbie is a conservative Democrat that does not follow the party when it comes to Michaud or Obama, he does listen and help more than most politicians that I have ever met. I feel confident that unlike Michaud, Herbie is not a paid for tool of Brookfield or Quimby.

• Anonymous

  While I don’t always agree with Herbie, I do speak with him a couple times a week. Herbie is a conservative Democrat that does not follow the party when it comes to Michaud or Obama, he does listen and help more than most politicians that I have ever met. I feel confident that unlike Michaud, Herbie is not a paid for tool of Brookfield or Quimby.

• Anonymous

  While I don’t always agree with Herbie, I do speak with him a couple times a week. Herbie is a conservative Democrat that does not follow the party when it comes to Michaud or Obama, he does listen and help more than most politicians that I have ever met. I feel confident that unlike Michaud, Herbie is not a paid for tool of Brookfield or Quimby.

• Anonymous

  A better direction, one that Michaud doesn’t want to happen, is diverse manufacturing. Michaud, the lowest ranked Congressman in economic development has never promoted what many have said would save the region.

  A National Park-
  It will remove more jobs than it creates-
  The few jobs it will create will not even pay a livable wage-
  It will remove access to hunters, atv use, snowmobiles, and logging-
  It has been proven that this will become an ongoing cost on the backs of the taxpayers-

  Even liberal actor Sam Waterston is rallying for additional money to keep what we have from crumbling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

  Bottom line, we cannot afford another National Park, we need to reestablish a manufacturing
  base.

• Anonymous

  There is one question that Quimby has always stayed away from; why not just donate the land to Baxter State Park…?

• Anonymous

  Because Brookfield won’t include the power in the sale.

• http://twitter.com/z_gryphon Ben Hutchins

  I hate to be a wet blanket on your conspiracy bonfire here, but Inexcon (remember them?) sold the hydro system to Brascan (as they were then) several years before the bankruptcy proceedings that ultimately led to a different division of the company acquiring the mills.  Brascan weren’t even originally the most promising lead during the bankruptcy process; they came along after the first set of negotiations with a prospective buyer fell through.  (Because of the landfill, in fact.)  The point is, the sale of the dams and the sale of the mills were separated by years and involved different divisions, with different management teams, of the same vast company.  Asserting that it’s all part of the same grand and sinister design is giving that company WAY too much credit for forethought and planning.  It’s like thinking the LAPD framed O.J. when they can’t even fights from breaking out at Dodgers games: attractive, but unrealistic.

  I don’t dispute that Brookfield is a company without conscience, driven by how big a profit it can make.  That’s obvious.  All corporations are like that, by definition – especially the second part.  That’s what makes them corporations and not charities.  And yes, that basic fact has led to decisions that have turned out poorly for those of us who live around here… but that doesn’t necessarily imply malice, nor is it a phenomenon confined to the current owners.  Remember Georgia-Pacific?  Where’s the anger for them?  They sold the woodlands.  Or Bowater, the original pension welshers?  Or the spineless executives at GN Nekoosa who knuckled under and allowed the G-P takeover to happen in the first place?

  The involvement of a Canadian corporation in this particular round of the cycle notwithstanding, stickin’ it to the little guy is a great American entrepreneurial tradition.  Some people (the same sort of people who equate letting just such things happen without regulation to being “open for business”) would fold their arms and tell you blithely, “Hey, that’s business.”  It doesn’t require supervillain-style multi-decade planning; it’s just what happens if you let the Invisible Hand of the Marketplace do whatever the hell it wants for too long.

• Anonymous

  Ms. Quimby has answered that question, she did at the meeting in Millinocket. I thought you were there. Replay the tape and you will see it.

• Anonymous

  Well you’re not a wet blanket…because what I said before has not changed. Brascan and Brookfield are the same company. Just changing their name or transferrring the assets or part of the assets to a different “branch” of the company does not make them innocent of their deeds. It is not a “conspiracy” like you say….that sounds like tv talk to me …but they are guilty of using the fine print to steal from the people of the State of Maine. We can spend all day talking about all the bad decisions made in the past by other companies but instead let us talk about NOW. Our political leaders can do something about NOW. After you form an LLC you HAVE to wait so many years from the separation of assets before you  can divest of them without penalty. They probably have some of the best lawyers in the world. They know what they are doing. I figured there would be someone who found fault with what I said. Please take the realistic view of it. This is what is happening now. And yes this was planned in a sense. It is obvious. The power company wanted the largest private dam collection in the country. The first year after they bought it they announced they were not into paper companies and wanted to rid themselves of them…..On the front page of the Bangor Daily News. My description here may not be exact to every detail, but its very close. Come up with your own ideas instead trying to nitpick apart others. You live in Millinocket (7 years) and you will suffer whatever consequences you have to from the depressed economics that will go on there.
  Do something to help instead of criticizing someone else who is trying to help. Nuff said I’m gone…you get the last word.

• Anonymous

  Rebuilding manufacturing in Northern Maine will not happen.  At least not for large mills and factories.  The cost, even before taxes is just too high compared to China.  That’s just a hard truth that we all need to accept.

  Your statements about a national park are questionable.  Since there are no jobs anyway in Northern Maine any jobs it adds will be new jobs and none will be lost.  Also, if done right, a park will bring a lot of construction jobs for years.  Finally, as we rebuild the Northern Maine economy it will bring an opportunity for smaller niche manufacturing companies.

  The future for manufacturing in Maine is not the large mills of days gone by.  It will be with small firms who manufacture high value-added products.  Combine that with the energy of a national park community – anyone who seen Jackson Hole, Estes Park etc. – and we will have a truly diverse economy.  It can work.

  Hanging on to the past will not work. 

• Anonymous

  quick question for you….just what do you think is a livable wage? Is it a per hour # or an after all the over priced health insurance and union dues amount? How much is livable?

• Anonymous

  I did go to that meeting, and while it was brought up, she did not answer why not.

• Anonymous

  While I do agree with your comment of small manufacturing will play a part in rebuilding a manufacturing base, the fate of large scale manufacturing is far from over.

• Anonymous

  Considering that pre mill
  closures paid as low as $16 to $18 dollars an hour and many struggled to get by
  on that.

  Considering that as we get older
  social security won’t even pay our utility bills-

  Considering that while nationally prices on gas, home
  heating oil, food, electricity (Brookfield) and many other things have caused
  many to slow down on spending,,, including going to underfunded national parks
  that have been in need of repair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejO6c3iw3bg
  investing “taxpayer” money for Quimby Land is anything but fiscally
  responsible.

   

  But yet there are some that think, 9.50 an hour as a gate
  guard will pay to keep the kids fed, pay for medical, gas, heating oil,,,,,,,
  and on and on—– Maybe they can work 80 hours a week, or more….

   

  Quimby’s nightmare is nothing more than taxpayer funded indentured
  servitude…!

   

   

• Anonymous

  Yes she did.

• Anonymous

  Sure you do!!!

• Anonymous

  I will have to watch it again on Kat TV, but just for shits-and-giggles why don’t you enlighten us with what her  position is…

• Anonymous

  they may have been getting $16 or $18/hour but I know people that earn12.50/hour and take home more than the mill workers after insurance and union dues and taxes are taken into consideration on both sides….

• Anonymous

  they may have been getting $16 or $18/hour but I know people that earn12.50/hour and take home more than the mill workers after insurance and union dues and taxes are taken into consideration on both sides….

• Anonymous

  I also know many people that make 12.50 an hour and take all of it because they don’t have to pay into useless unions, but none of them are park employees, or working in the tourism industry…!

  $12.50 an hour is almost impossible to live upon, and if you have kids,,,, in this economy,,, good luck…!