by CPF66
codasd wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 12:28 pm 'This is the area I was talking about. What are they going to put way up there? https://youtu.be/pFu3KjEBF34?t=388'There is no prospect for LPG customers up there. You have Dead River in Millinocket which is only doing a fraction of the business they did under CMQ. Then in Bangor you have Pine Tree, Dead River, and HO Bouchard now. Then Dead River also has a facility in Houlton, and VL Tammarro has a plant in Calais. Add in that part of Maine is sparsely populated, and I highly doubt anyone would make money off an LPG transload.
I had the same thought when I first viewed the video. That is a big grade up to those building. Unless they use some of the hill as fill for the siding extensions. Is there any need for a transload facility in that area or an LPG facility?
Its also worth adding that the Poland Springs bottling plant in Lincoln is officially dead. There were to many hurdles to over come with building a bottling plant on a superfund site, even though the water is being trucked in. It sounds like the laminated lumber company which wanted to build originally in Millinocket officially withdrew the plans for the proposed site in Lincoln recently as well.
Which it doesn't pertain to the discussion about Mattawamkeag, but the Whole Oceans salmon farm in Bucksport is likely dead as well. They have been pushing off the construction since 2020 and have taken an obnoxious amount of money from the town and state which has been tossed to the wind. I was told the permit expired and the town refused to reissue the construction permits due to the delays and the fact that they owe Wardwell Contracting several million for utilities work which was done for the site 4 years ago. I think the Belfast fish farm got shot down by the NIMBY's as well, which I know both were discussed here eons ago, with the potential for the occasional carload of fish food. While also on the topic of the Bucksport Branch, I believe the dirty dirt business is done. Word is the project ran out of funding before they could finish the last phase of the site clean up. AFAIK they still need to dredge the Penobscot from the site south, as high amounts of mercury have been found. And really the only other business, PERC (trash handling facility) has been sold for the 3rd time in less than 8 months. The new owners said they hoped to reopen by 2025, but I have a feeling between the work needed to keep the plant operational, and the new law banning trash companies from disposing out of state C&D material and trash (AKA how the trash plants made profit) I have a feeling its just going to become the newest abandoned mill site.
The only other potential customer in the area would be Cianbro and they are adamant about using trucks and barges to move the steel they use. Even despite the skimpy tie job CSX did last fall, OT-1/NM-1 was still derailing almost every trip. I think the branch is washed out in a few places as well, since the roadmaster opted to stuff several collapsing culverts with ballast, instead of replacing them. But its been a few months since they even patrolled the branch last. There are still lots of trees down on the tracks, which I think are from the wind storm in January. At this point I think its safe to add the Bucksport Branch to the "dead" category.