Photo captured by Michaela Qualey, a Millinocket resident, at Blueberry Ledges in Baxter State Park.

The Magic City Monthly

August 2023

A Piece of Our Past

The Millinocket Light Company was organized in 1902. It built a plant to manufacture acetylene gas to be piped throughout town. The gas house was located near the mill railroad track in back of where Katahdin Avenue School would later be erected. The town signed a contract with the light company to light the streets with gas lamps. Gas lights were in use in Millinocket until the 1920’s.

Photo courtesy of Millinocket Historical Society Curator, Trudy Wyman

On August 24th, the Millinocket Town Council presented newly retired, Chief Thomas Malcolm, with a Proclamation honoring his retirement.

The Town of Millinocket thanks Tom for his 33 years of sacrifice, dedication and service to the Town of Millinocket and it's citizens.

Thomas Malcolm began his career as a Firefighter/EMT on January 31, 1990, and continued in that capacity until October 9, 1995, when he became the Assistant Fire Chief for the Town of Millinocket. He continued until April 1, 2019 when he became the Fire Chief of the Millinocket Fire Department and retired on July 4, 2023.

What's all this talk about Brownfields?

The Town of Millinocket was recently awarded an Environmental Protection Agency - Brownfield Community Wide Assessment Grant. The total award is $500,000.

What the heck is a Brownfield?

A brownfield is a property in which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be held up by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

Examples of Brownfields: Buildings with asbestos (in most buildings built before 1989), lead paint (in most buildings built before 1978), land/soil soaked in pesticides, laundry mats/dry cleaners, auto shops/garages, etc.

Why does this even matter?

The Brownfield program is vital for Millinocket to conduct subsurface investigations and Hazardous Building Materials Inventories (HBMIs) to properly assess and evaluate the priority Brownfield Sites in Millinocket. Brownfields Assessment funding is vital to promote prosperity and jump-start the commercial and residential revitalization of Millinocket.

Cool, so what's next?

To be frank, Brownfield projects are a lot of work, that take LOTS of time. On August 7th, the Town Manager, and Community Initiatives Director, traveled to the 2023 Brownfields Conference in Detroit, Michigan. There, they took courses on administering the grant funding, what that could look like in Millinocket, the grant guidelines and expectations, and making connections with those who will help the Millinocket Brownfield Program succeed!

Brownfield assessments are projected to begin in January 2024.

More to come...

If you have further questions please email Amber, [email protected]

Engage, Participate, & Subscribe!

Stay in the know by attending the various Council and Committee meetings. We appreciate any and all input and feedback. Please remember this is YOUR community and YOUR voice matters. CLICK HERE to view the Community Calendar and stay up to date with all scheduled meetings. If you cannot attend a meeting you can stay in the know by watching the recordings on our YouTube Channel. Feel free to subscribe to the channel to stay up to date.

The Millinocket Town Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30. Meetings are held in-person in Charles Sanders Council Chambers and remote access available via Zoom. CLICK HERE for more information regarding town council meetings! Please considering joining these meetings are participating in the discussion. All are welcome!

WinterKids Downhill 24 Outdoor Fund

Tuesday, August 1st, the Town of Millinocket was awarded $10,000 from the WinterKids Downhill 24 Outdoor Fund. This award was possible all thanks to YOU. Your votes will help more kids get outside! Every vote for Millinocket, secured the Town the 1st place seat!

Thanks to those who voted, the Town has taken a significant stride towards funding the Millinocket Ski Tow project. The project goal is to promote healthy outdoor fun for community members of all ages throughout the winter season, and the best part is that it will be completely free to use. The Town is thrilled by the prospect of bringing this project to life and making a positive impact on the regional community.

Should you have any queries or seek more information about the Millinocket Ski Tow project, please feel free to reach out to Community Initiatives Director, Amber Wheaton, at [email protected].

Municipal Updates

Waste Water

We would like to remind the residents of Millinocket to please NOT flush wipes, paper towels, grease, plastics, Q-tips or anything other than toilet paper into the sewer system. Even the "flushable" wipes will clog the sewer system. These items are causing extreme plugs to the sewer system and costly maintenance to our pumping stations. We would like to thank the residents for this consideration.
Two roofs are being shingled at Bates street pump station and on the garage at the treatment plant.
We will be replacing two pumps at the Stearns high school pump station.
The project is estimated to begin the first part of September.

Jason Ingalls,

Wastewater Treatment Facility Superintendent

Millinocket School Department

Students and families, please join us for our Open Houses.
Where: Granite Street School and Stearns Jr/Sr High Schools
When: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Time: 1:30 – 3:00 PM.
The first day of school for PreK-12 is Wednesday, August 30!
Bus schedules are in the Lincoln News, or you may contact your child’s school:
Granite Street School
191 Granite Street, Millinocket, ME 04462
(207) 723-6425
Miss Jo-Anna Merry, Principal
Miss Shawna Boyer, Secretary
Stearns Jr/Sr High School:
199 State Street, Millinocket, ME 04462
(207) 723-6430
Ms. Beth Peavey, Principal
Mr. Nick Cullen, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
Mrs. Tammy McLaughlin, Secretary
Mrs. Sue Buzzell, Guidance

We are looking forward to a great school year!

Dr. Shelley Lane, Superintendent of Schools

East Millinocket Police Department

EMPD has responded to 6,451 calls for service to date, with over 3,120 of those calls being in the Town of Millinocket
Officers have arrested and summoned over 375 individuals to date and conducted more than 2040 motor vehicle stops. We will continue to increase our traffic enforcement as our agency receives multiple complaints of speeding and distracted drivers on our roadways.
Ofc Clayton will travel to New Hampshire on August 24th to pick up K9 Derby. Ofc Clayton and K9 Derby will begin their training process in New Hampshire on September 5th. This is a huge asset to our region and again the cost of starting a K9 program has been grant funded.
East Millinocket Public Safety secured $45,000 of funding from the Penobscot County Commissioners for a radio infrastructure upgrade. These upgrades will be a benefit to the entire region as it will provide repeated local frequencies for use on emergency scenes and day to day operations.
Lastly, we want to remind everyone in the upcoming weeks schools will be back in session which will increase vehicle, pedestrian, and bus traffic. Please take caution during arrival and dismissal times so our students can safely get to and from school. We want to wish all our students’ luck for a successful upcoming school year!

Police Chief Cameron McDunnah & Corporal Bradley Fitzgerald

Millinocket Fire/EMS

Chief Cote attended a training at Maine
Fire Service & Institute in Brunswick on new training props for Fire Departments.
Chief Cote & Fulltime Staff participated in the Pool Party at the Town Pool.
Chief Cote & Fulltime Staff participated in the Back-to-School Event.
2 Fulltime staff and 1 paid call staff attended a Basic Pumps Operators Course in Medway instructed by Chief Cote.
Two new fulltime Firefighters/EMT-Basic started.

Fire Chief Jon Cote, EMA Director

Code Enforcement

Working with two developments through the site plan review
Car Wash on Bragdon Property
Residential care facility on Oxford St at site of old VFW
Continual work on first round of identified dangerous buildings, two properties have been served court papers this week.
Significant time spent attempting to locate absentee owners for several properties that are abandoned and in states of disrepair and or in violation of codes.
Working with developers and the life safety officer on facility upgrades to several properties in town, including fire alarm systems and instillation of sprinkler systems.
Continued work with developers of the solar farm on the former Great Northern Paper Mill Site.
Forward progress on the online permitting system. Still some work to be done, should be online this fall.
Working jointly with the assessor to train the part time shared resource in our office.
Working with the electrical inspector to review and streamline the electrical permit process and oversight.
Developed an updated tracking system for issued permits. Hardcopies of all issued permits are now stored in the property tax card file. This will streamline research down the road.
Fielded 87 citizen complaints regarding property maintenance & also sign ordinance violations.

Shawn Mitchell, Code Enforcement Officer

Public Works, Transfer Station and Cemetery

The DEP required summer flushing of the Town sewers has begun. This gives us a chance to inspect the condition of the sewers. This is also a good time to remind everyone that wipes, cooking grease and other foreign objects cause problems in the sewer.
B and B Paving has begun summer paving. This may be a two-trip process for them as we will have some sewer covers to adjust and repair after they mill the existing road surfaces.
We are continuing to trim brush and limbs that are causing line of sight obstructions and growing into the right-of-ways around town.
Summer maintenance of the plow equipment is underway in preparation for winter.
The new Arial Lift truck is being built at the dealership and is expected to be ready in mid-September.
This is a reminder that the Millinocket Transfer Station is for waste generated within the Town of Millinocket, and those approved unorganized Territories only.
The brush/compost area is left open during times the transfer site is closed as a convenience to the public. Please do not abuse it.
Everyone should have their transfer site usage stickers by now, if not, they need to be purchased ASAP.
Recycling is being accepted and we are looking for all the cardboard, plastic jugs, and tin cans. Please utilize the recycling facility to help the Town generate revenue.
The cemetery has rules on what decorations are allowed around headstones. The rules can be viewed on the Town’s website.
They are in place for the safety and convenience of the maintenance crew as well as the public.

Bryan Duprey, Public Works Director

Department Deep Dive:

Town Clerk and Tax Collector's Office

From left to right: Tax Collector Sharon Cyr, Town Clerk Diana Lakeman, Assistant Clerk Roxanne Johnson

and Assistant Clerk/Deputy Registrar Amber Carney

What services are provided by the Town Clerk and Tax Collection Office?

Great question! Check out below to learn all about what our AWESOME Clerks do.

Provides customer service to the public.
Answers phones, assists caller and or directs the line to the proper staff.
Provide service with birth, death, & marriage records.
Vital Record $15 1^st/$6 ea. Additional
Marriage License $40
Tax payments, licensing, motor vehicle registrations, dog registrations, Transfer site permit, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife registrations and licenses and all other transaction types to Town of Millinocket residents and its surrounding County Townships
Notary Public Services $5.00/signature, photocopying .50/ea.pg. and fax services $2 for the 1^stand $1 ea. additional.
Process required record keeping, filing, and other related tasks for all vital records, dog registrations, business licenses, maintenance of Victualer and Entertainment licenses for the Town of Millinocket.
Provide administrative support and assistance to other Department Heads as needed.
Daily cash deposit recording, & weekly and monthly State audit reconciliations & cash reporting
Registrar of Voters, Central Voter Registration maintenance, Absentee Ballot processing, & all State and Local Election oversight.
Tax Collections, Tax Billing, Abatement/Supplemental, Tax Payments, Tax Liens, Discharges, & Foreclosures
Wastewater Collections, Wastewater Billing, Abatement/Supplemental, Wastewater Payments, Wastewater Liens, Discharges, & Foreclosures
Preparation of Town Council meetings, Agendas and corresponding meeting packets, distribution of meeting materials, prepares and retains minutes and recordings, Public Notice, and advertising.
Records maintenance; Cemetery deeds, Cemetery files, disposition permits (hard copy and electronic)

Monthly Updates from the Town Clerk's Office:

July 2023 - 3^rd Quarter Sewer Billing:
Bill Date 7/27/23; Due Date 8/27/23; Interest Date 8/28/23
Fulfilling requests of tax information, providing normal daily requests of motor vehicle and wastewater and tax account balances via e-mail, fax and phone calls.
Processing daily mail, online, phone, and drop box payments.
Election:
November 7, 2023 State Referendum and Municipal Election process has begun: Multiple state forms and ballot coding submitted by their designated deadlines; Nomination Papers: were available on Friday, July 28^th, 2023, and are due back in the Clerk’s office by 4:00 pm on Friday, September 8^th, 2023; the following municipal seats up in November 2023 and nominations taken out to date:
Town Council - Three 3-year Terms: Jane Danforth, Louis R. Pelletier, Gail A. Mackin-Returned, Jennifer McKinney, & Gilda G. Stratton.
School Board – Two 3-Year Terms: Donald E. Raymond.
Applications for Absentee Ballot Request – Only- available electronically through the State ABR site (Absentee Ballot Request) and manually at the Clerk’s Office August 7^th, 2023.
Reminder: Dogs must be vaccinated and licensed in their residing towns to utilize the Town Dog Park.
Fees: $6 spayed/neutered; $11 intact.
Boards/Committees:
Personnel Appeals Board: (1) Full seat available.
2023 Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Licenses and registrations are available.

Diana M. Lakeman Town Clerk/Deputy Tax Collector

Sharon A. Cyr Tax Collector/Deputy Clerk

School Supply Giveaway

Saturday, August 19th the Town of Millinocket hosted a School Supply Giveaway at the Millinocket Fire Station. The event set 141 children up for success with brand new school supplies! There was a guest appearance from Sparky the Fire Dog.

The event was a collaboration between the Community Initiatives, Fire/Ems, and the Public Health and Safety Departments. The organizers are extremely excited for next year's event and will be working diligently to make it bigger and better in the future.

The Town wants to give a HUGE shout out to the volunteers who helped make the event possible. They spent their Saturday morning setting up, cooking and handing out supplies. Thank YOU! Thank you to the Millinocket Elks and the Millinocket School Department generously donated backpacks, setting 81 children up with brand new school bags.

Updates on One North; formally Great Northern Paper Mill Site

Engineering & Research Building:

Lakeside Concrete Cutting and Abatement Professionals of Newport, Maine continue hazardous material abatement at the former Great Northern Paper Company Engineering & Research Building. Work on the 3rd floor of the building is nearing completion with work underway on the 2nd floor. The project is funded by EPA Brownfields Cleanup funding.

Cianbro Corporation of Pittsfield, Maine has completed the installation of a new roof over the Engineering portion of the building and work is now underway on the Pilot Plant roof. The new roof system includes tapered insulation directing storm water to drains along the exterior of the building. The roofing work is expected to be completed by October 2023. This project is funded by grant and loan funding provided by the EPA's Brownfields Revolving Loan fund administered by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

On August 23rd, it was announced at an event that the Northern Border Regional Commission has awarded Our Katahdin $750,000 to assist with repurposing the wastewater treatment plant at One North to enable site redevelopment for new industrial tenants.

Trails End Festival 2023

All trails lead to the Trails End Festival in Millinocket, ME this September 22nd, 23rd, and 24th 2023!

Trails End Festival began 16 years ago. This annual festival held in Millinocket is a celebration of the end of the Appalachian Trail, Katahdin region, the outdoor recreation community, and spending time with friends and family during three days of music, food, and fun!

Visitors come to the Katahdin Region throughout the year to hike our mountains, paddle our lakes and rivers, walk, bike, cross country ski, hunt, fish, forage, ATV or snowmobile on our trails.

Join us this September for three days of free music, food, and fun as we celebrate all of those who make the Katahdin region their destination.

The festival is 3 days of music, food and fun. On Friday, there is the annual chili cook-off. Saturday, you can expect a parade, touch a truck, AND a pie and cake auction. Then on Sunday, there is the fan favorite event the rubber duck race. For more information please email the Trails End Board.

The Trails End Festival Board is still accepting vendor applications for both artisans and food vendors, click here for a vendor application to join in on the fun! Click here for a printable version of the application!

Maine Woods Rambler 2023

In its third year, this unique adventure ride is a partnership between the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, The New England Outdoors Center (NEOC) and Katahdin Area Trails (KAT). Proceeds from the event benefit Katahdin Area Trails.

Registration is open until September 18 at 5 p.m. Click here to register!

The 50k and 100k routes will punish you with challenging climbs, test your brakes on fast descents, and reward you with sweeping vistas of the surrounding lakes, rivers, and Baxter peaks. You might spot a moose if you’re lucky! Route surfaces are a mixture of smooth gravel, rough gravel, and harsh barely-ridden gravel that may require you to hike-a-bike through a section or two. You’ll also ride some of the finest paved roads in the region (about 20% of the total length on both routes) and enjoy short stints on some of the best flow trail single-track this side of the Mississippi. The 100k route also features a water crossing where riders will be ferried across Pemadumcook Lake, and a cruise through downtown Millinocket to explore local businesses.

While the 50k and 100k routes are most appropriate for seasoned riders, we’ve added a 20k route for riders looking to gain experience and confidence in mixed-surface adventure riding. This route also combines single track, gravel, and paved roads and is suitable for mountain bikes and gravel bikes alike.

The Rambler kicks off Saturday night at the NEOC activity center with rider check-in and a welcome party. Riders hit the trail early Sunday morning and enjoy post-ride pizza & beer from Knife Edge Brewing.

Millinocket Town Office

197 Penobscot Ave

Millinocket, ME 04462

(207) 723-7000