Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program
Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program
The Town of Wiscasset was one of six communities selected by the Governor’s Energy Office and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development to participate in the state’s Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program (MECERP), funded through the Governor’s Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. The program will provide technical assistance to help revitalize former mill sites, power stations, and other facilities with available or excess electrical capacity.
MECERP is designed to foster economic development across Maine by providing high-quality technical assistance to projects identified by communities that leverage underutilized energy assets or excess electrical grid capacity to unlock new economic activity, create family-sustaining jobs, and reduce carbon emissions. The six projects will bring new economic activity that aligns with the state’s growing industries, including clean energy, forest products, life sciences, agriculture, aquaculture, and outdoor recreation.
The program launched earlier this year with a community survey and information-gathering process that allowed communities to nominate priority projects. This led to the identification of the current list of participating communities. Through early 2025, each community will receive technical assistance from the state’s consultant, HR&A Advisors, a national economic development and public policy consulting firm.
MECERP does not provide funding for project implementation. The technical assistance provided is meant to maximize the likelihood of each community securing significant local, state, and federal funding for their projects.
The state may approve a limited number of additional communities to participate in MECERP. Please visit the program webpage to learn more about MECERP goals and objectives.
“Wiscasset is thrilled to receive technical assistance through MECERP to help us initiate a critical planning exercise for all the underutilized energy assets and land in the Mason Station and the Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant corridor,” said Aaron Chrostowsky, Economic Development Director for the Town of Wiscasset. “We envision a mix of different economic and community development uses for the sites, to be determined through a robust stakeholder and community engagement process.”
As part of the MECERP program, the Town of Wiscasset will conduct economic development planning for two large waterfront sites: the 33-acre Birch Point Peninsula, best known for the decommissioned Mason Station site, and the 297-acre parcel along Old Ferry Road across the road from the decommissioned Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant.
The Town is pleased to work closely with Ryan Gahagan, President of Mason Station Redevelopment Co., on this project. Mason Station Redevelopment Co., a Joint Venture between Treadwood, LLC., and North Light Energy, LLC., was formed to explore options for the adaptive reuse of the former Mason Station coal/ oil power in Wiscasset on the banks of the Back and Sheepscot Rivers in Mid-Coast Maine. While still early in the concept development stage, the site offers features that make it a strong candidate for redevelopment into a low-impact, mixed-use, renewable energy campus, and marina.
The project's desired outcome is for Wiscasset stakeholders and community members to align upon a holistic vision for the sites within their energy corridor. The Town of Wiscasset has a coordinated land use and phasing strategy based on community and market input. The Town has an actionable list of relevant funding opportunities to help them advance to future development phases.
The Town of Wiscasset has negotiated and signed the Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program Technical Assistance Memorandum of Understanding between HR&A Advisors, Inc., which became effective October 15, 2024.
Stakeholder Meeting Presentation & Takeaway Memo
The first of several public engagement opportunities was holding a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at the Wiscasset Community Center. HR&A Advisors, Inc., in collaboration with the Town and Mason Station Redevelopment Co., designed, planned, and facilitated an in-person Stakeholder Workshop to define a collective vision for future development across both the Birch Point and Old Ferry Road properties
HR&A Advisors, Inc., in collaboration with the Town and Mason Station Redevelopment Co., drafted a public survey. They sought your feedback to help guide the vision for these sites, shaping projects that support economic activity and align with what matters most to our residents and businesses. In the future, there will be a town hall meeting where the public can learn more about the program and the survey results! For survey results, click here.
Market Scan
HR&A Advisors, Inc. developed this high-level market scan to identify market-supportable and non-market-supportable uses for the Birch Point and Old Ferry Road sites and provide recommendations for the following steps to enhance the feasibility of the successful development of both sites. Below is a summary of the scan
- Industries with Unmet Market Demand: Light-industry; Aquaculture, Clean-Energy; Housing, and Outdoor Recreation
- Industries with Insufficient Market Demand: Hospitality and Tourism
To read the Market Scan results, click here.
Implementation Plan
HR&A Advisors, Inc. has developed a draft implementation plan that includes stakeholder meeting information, public survey results, and market scan analysis. The implementation plan outlines the following:
- Development Sequencing Strategy
- Financing Strategies
- Outreach & Marketing Plan
Town Hall Meeting
The Town of Wiscasset invites all residents, business owners, and officials to a Town Hall meeting to discuss exciting new developments. This event will provide an opportunity to learn about the town's participation in the Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program (MECERP) and the potential development of two town-owned sites: Birch Point and Old Ferry Road.
Date: Wednesday, March 12th
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission (LRPC)’s Office, 297 Bath Rd, Wiscasset, ME 04578
Join Zoom Meeting, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86356900952, Meeting ID: 863 5690 0952
Through MECERP, Wiscasset is exploring ways to stimulate economic activity and create family-sustaining jobs by leveraging existing energy infrastructure assets. MECERP has offered the Town technical assistance to help our community develop action plans and identify funding sources for these projects.
Come and join the conversation! Your participation is valuable as we work together to shape Wiscasset's future. We look forward to seeing you there.
For more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with Aaron Chrostowsky, Economic Development Director, at economicdeveloper@wiscasset.org