Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club savor stellar season

By Kendra Raymond

Members of a local snowmobile club know a thing or two about high-octane winter adventures. The Raymond Rattlers are carving up the trails this season, thanks to some recent cold temperatures and heavy snowfall.

Members of the Raymond Rattlers show off
the new bridge which was constructed last
year to help provide fun and safe snowmobile
trails for the Raymond community.
PHOTO BY LARRY WOOD

Coming in on the tails of some pretty disappointing sledding seasons, the Rattlers are taking advantage of prime trail conditions this year. The enthusiasm is palpable for club members as well as the general public who also utilize the trails.

Raymond Rattlers Membership Committee chairman Larry Wood is encouraged about the favorable environment this year.

"It pretty much came together in the last two weeks,” he said. “The conditions the definitely the best so far.”

Wood says that there are about 30 miles of trails throughout Raymond. So far, property owners are mostly agreeable and supportive of the trails that cross their land. He is always appreciative of their continued permission.

Alan Plummer is the President of the Raymond Rattlers. He says that this is the first time in nearly three years that the trails in Raymond have been groomed.

“The trails are in phenomenal shape right now,” he said. “The Pipeline is the biggest part of the trail system (in Raymond). And a lot of the trails stem from that.”

Plummer chalks up the recent prime conditions to the perfect combination of ice-making on local lakes and ponds as well as some pretty hefty snowstorms.

“We are reliant on lakes being frozen and a good coating of snow afterwards,” he said. Plummer explained that the trails cross several bodies of water such as Crescent Lake, Raymond Pond, and Panther Pond, with the latter providing trail access into Windham.

Speaking of neighboring towns, the Rattlers pride themselves on great working relationships with snowmobile clubs in the area.

“We work with the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club who recently held their First Annual Poker Run,” said Plummer. “We also collaborate with the Crooked River Snowmobile Club in Casco.”

Plummer said that the clubs work together to help each other out as much as possible.

“We keep track of what’s going on with them and do what we can to support that,” he said.

In fact, the Rattlers have not had a place to hold regular meetings for the past few years.

“The Crooked River club has a brand-new clubhouse in Casco, and they offered for us to use the facility to hold our meetings,” said Plummer. “It’s been great! We’ve had two meetings over there so far, and we even got a few new members. The Crooked River club has been really generous to offer that to us. It’s all about the small community - we help them and they help us.”

With trails like “Ballfield, Pipeline, and Rattlesnake Mountain,” who wouldn’t have fun? While trail riding comes with its own sense of adventure, the Rattlers also focus on building a cohesive club that welcomes everyone.

“We typically do a barbecue event at the clubhouse off Pipeline each winter. With no snow the past couple of years, no planning was done (this year) because we were not sure about what we could expect for snow,” said Plummer.

The event sounds like a blast – snowmobilers ride in and gather to enjoy burgers, hot dogs and all the fixings. Donations are accepted and it serves as the club’s big fundraiser for the year. Wood hopes to organize a barbecue for March this year, weather permitting.

Denise Plummer, local business owner and wife of Alan Plummer said that the season has taken everyone by surprise.

“This year has been hard. The snow came really fast, and it’s been tough to put this all together,” she said. “We like to encourage family sports and focus on the camaraderie. It has been awesome seeing it all happen.”

The Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club map was created to provide visual aid for sledders to make safe plans to get around the area trails.

Wood says that they have been available at Sunset Variety in the past, but at present it can be distributed by mail. For those interested in obtaining a map, just message the Rattlers on their Facebook page and they will make sure you receive one.

Wood wants to remind everyone to have fun this season and “ride safe”.

If you are interested in learning more about the Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club, there are several options.

Learn about the Raymond Rattlers on the Town of Raymond website by visiting https://www.raymondmaine.org/content/raymond-rattlers-snowmobile-club

Email the Rattlers at raymond.rattlers@gmail.com

Feel free to call Club President Alan Plummer at 207-239-2374.

Check them out on Facebook at: Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club (make sure to choose the correct one - you want the one with the “Think Snow” logo.

The Raymond Rattlers are always seeking new members. Currently, the club has 25 families and eight business members. If you’d like to join, simply reach out to Larry Wood at 207-776-5489, or simply join by mail.

Club membership information: Single or family: $35, Business: $50 (includes your business name in the Maine Snowmobiler business section)

Make checks payable to: Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club. Mail to: PO Box 994, Raymond, Maine 04071. <

WHS soars in Quiz Bowl tournament in Plymouth

By Jolene Bailey

On Feb. 8, Windham High School students participated in a Quiz Bowl tournament hosted by Plymouth High School.

Members of the WHS Quiz Bowl
Team counterclockwise from left
are Delia Tomkus, Francesca
Lomonte, Mason Bragdon, and
Nick Davenport review questions
during a practice session at the
school on Monday, Feb. 24.
PHOTO BY JOLENE BAILEY 

“A quiz bowl tournament is an academic competition where students compete in a number of matches throughout the day,” said John Ziegler, who coaches the high school Quiz Team at WHS. “Each match consists of a team of up to four players from one school going against a team of up to four players from another school. Whichever team scores the most points wins the match. At the end of the day, the team that won the most matches wins the tournament. Ties are broken by a total high score.”

For many Quiz Bowl participants, the most exciting part of every tournament is the first round as it faces the rest of the competition.

“Windham was facing one of the best teams in the tournament, Plymouth,” Ziegler said. “Windham jumped out to a big lead early, as Mason Bragdon was playing really well, and Plymouth's best player Reagan was having a hard time getting going. However, a couple mistakes by Windham let Plymouth back into the game, and Reagan took advantage. She went on a tear to put Plymouth in the lead going into the last question. Mason again stepped up, nailing the final question to tie the game.”.

This gave Windham a chance to win if they scored any one of three bonus questions.

The team missed the first two bonus questions and tensions were high, but Windham scored on the last bonus question to win and advance.

Students prepare for the quiz bowl tournaments by setting time aside to practice twice a week, Ziegler said.

Every Monday after school the team gathers to work on potential questions and to practice for upcoming Quiz Bowl events. On Thursdays they meet and practice for appearance on the television’s “High School Quiz Show.”

“As a quiz team, we attend two different types of tournaments. One is Quiz Show, a televised program that you can watch, High School Quiz Show Maine, on YouTube, with simple, often pop-culture based questions,” said Delia Tomkus, the captain of the WHS Quiz Team.

“Quiz Bowl, however, is significantly more academic. Quiz Bowl questions are often longer and more detailed than those on Quiz Show, and they cover a wide variety of topics including, but not limited to, literature, science, pop culture and history.”

During practices the students share a number of resources as Ziegler works to create many Gimkits and other fun games dealing with specific knowledge that often will come up in Quiz Bowl events.

“Being a Quiz Team coach has been one of my favorite aspects of working at WHS. I enjoy watching the students learn and develop,” Ziegler said. “It's great when you see a student get a question right that they have missed in the past because they finally got that piece of knowledge ingrained. I also enjoy getting the opportunity to hang out with students who are genuinely interested in knowledge for the sake of knowledge.”

Being in friendly competition with the underlying desire for learning has helped many students step out of their comfort zone and find their inner strengths.

At Plymouth High School, the WHS team that competed consisted of Tomkus, Chessie Lamonte, Mason Bragdon, and Nick Davenport found smooth sailing, beating all teams except for one taking second place at the tournament and placing first among the other Maine schools that participated.

Tomkus praised Bragdon, who was the sixth-highest scoring player at the tournament.

“Being a part of the Quiz Team has really helped me understand leadership, and how to work together better with other people,” she said.

Quiz Bowl is an extracurricular activity for students and Tomkus said her participation in it has left her with many great memories.

“Probably some of my favorite memories from being on the quiz team are the van rides home,” she said. “All of the stress of playing is gone, and we sing and listen to music. Sometimes, for our farther-away games, we stop to get dinner together, which is also fun.”

Ziegler said he was pleased with how the WHS team performed at Plymouth High School.

“As a whole, I was very happy with what the team accomplished on Feb. 8,” he said. “To come in second in a tournament that was stacked with our toughest competition was very impressive and bodes well for our two remaining tournaments of the season at Cony High on March 1, and the state championship here at Windham on April 5.” <

In the public eye: WPS Behavior Specialist thrives on solving problems

Editor’s Note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

It’s no secret that poor behavior in a classroom can result in lost learning time for children. Windham Primary School is fortunate to have someone on staff to tackle this quickly so that WPS is able to provide high quality teaching to all students.

Laura Record is Windham
Primary School's Behavior
Specialist and RTI
Coordinator and has been
serving in the role for
three years. She formerly
taught Kindergarten at the
school from 2012 to 2022.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Laura Record is Windham Primary School’s Behavior Specialist and RTI Coordinator and has been serving in the role for three years.

Among her duties at the school, Record works with the Student Support team at WPS comprised of social workers, assistant principal, and a behavior interventionist. She provides social-emotional-behavioral support and interventions to children in and out of the classroom; provides a calm place for students to regulate as needed; and provides in-the moment support for students with behavior needs.

She analyzes student behavioral data; teaches various whole class lessons as requested by teachers; provides teacher coaching; is part of the school’s attendance team; coordinates the WPS “Bus of the Month” program; is a 504 case manager; an IEP case manager; supervises and oversees the Noon Monitors for lunch and recess staff and assists with recess and lunch behaviors; is a Safety Care Trainer; and a member of the WPS Response team.

As RTI (Response to Intervention) Coordinator, Record schedules meetings, is a RTI team member, and manages RTI plans for students.

Record has worked at Windham Primary School since August 2012, serving first as a Kindergarten teacher from 2012 to 2022 when she switched positions to become the WPS Behavior Specialist.

According to Record, the best thing about her job is that no two days are the same.

“It’s great to see children making progress,” she said. “What may seem as a small step forward to us, usually takes a lot of work and effort from a child.”

That’s also the most challenging aspect of her work.

“Often my schedule goes out the window when a student is struggling and needs support,” Record said. “The biggest misconception people may have about my work is that I only deal with behaviors. I tell children that I’m the ‘problem solving’ teacher. If they have or had a problem, we can work together to figure out how to solve it or make it right.”

The one thing that the public may not know about her job is that she tries to be proactive as much as possible by putting interventions in place and teaching regulation strategies to children before it becomes a crisis, Record said.

Originally from Upstate New York and then Massachusetts, Record earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and then obtained a master’s degree in education and her teaching certification in Low Incidence Disabilities (Special Education) at Boston College. She also has earned an early childhood and regular education teaching certificate and an Assistant Principal certificate.

“My husband’s job brought him back to Maine as he was born and raised here,” Record said. “After a year of him commuting between Maine and Massachusetts, we moved to Maine. With two young children and a newborn, it was great to finally be all together again.”

Prior to living in Maine, Record taught Kindergarten in Massachusetts from 2003 to 2012 and was a developmental inclusion preschool teacher from 1998 to 2003.

Her family is supportive of her work at WPS and because of her they have a greater understanding of the educational system.

“I think they like seeing the other side of a school from a teacher's perspective, especially when they were younger,” Record said. “Teachers don’t actually live in school. They usually help me set up my room. In the past they’ve also helped out with different school events like Fall Fest and Popsicles with the Principal.”

For Record, her most memorable moment while working for Windham Primary School so far is establishing a new program that holds a great deal of promise for the future.

“I am very excited about our new Bus of the Month program that recently began,” she said. “It’s great to hear the children cheer when I announce it to their bus and see the Bus of the Month magnet on the outside of the bus.”

Of everything that she’s learned while working for Windham Primary School, one thing stands out above the rest.

“The teachers and staff are child-focused,” she said. “We are a team at WPS with a lot of collaboration and problem solving. We all support each other with the best interest of the children in mind.” <

Windham to restrict public EV charging at town hall

By Ed Pierce

Without objection from members of the Windham Town Council, the town manager’s office will restrict public access to the three Electric Vehicle charging stations at the Windham Town Hall.

During Tuesday night’s council meeting, Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts discussed posting signs and installing locks on the EV chargers after town employees could not charge their municipal EVs because the public was using them.

Tibbetts said that the town obtained grants in 2015 to install two charging stations at Windham Town Hall and added a third one several years later.

Through the years the town has been working to increase its fleet of municipal electric vehicles and decrease its dependence upon gas-powered vehicles, Tibbetts told the council.

He said that as more residents purchase EVs, finding places to charge them has led them to use the charging stations at Windham Town Hall.

“I thought it was important to bring this before the council,” Tibbetts said. “When municipal vehicles are unable to be charged because all three stations are in use by the public, we need to do something. It's like in essence that they’re getting a free tank of gas.”

A high-speed charger typically can add 200 to 250 miles of range per hour to an electric-powered vehicle.

He proposed restricting use of the three EV charging stations at the town hall, posting signage that they are for municipal vehicle use only and securing them with locks.

Assistant Windham Town Manager Bob Burns said a review of the grants used to obtain the EV charging stations does not contain language that the town must make the chargers available to town residents.

“I think the EV system is being abused,” Councilor David Nadeau told Tibbetts. “You’re right to do something with this.”

Other councilors raised the question about public access EV charging stations in town.

The chargers installed in North Windham at Hannaford in 2021 were funded using only grant funds derived from the settlement of a federal lawsuit against Volkswagen, and Efficiency Maine led the development and installation of high-speed EV chargers (also called “Level 3” chargers or “DC fast chargers”) there.

Last year, the State of Maine received a $15 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to install 62 Level 3 fast charging ports and 520 Level 2 charger ports at more than 70 sites in 63 Maine cities and towns, including some future charging stations at Shaw’s Plaza in North Windham.

Councilors did not object to Tibbetts’ proposal to reserve the Town Hall EV Charging Stations for municipal vehicles only, so Tibbetts said signs and locks will be installed there by March indicating the new policy. <

Raymond author to discuss her popular book at Erik’s Church event

By Ed Pierce

The enduring popularity of a Raymond author’s book remains strong. Cheryl Blanchard will be discussing both her book and additional memories about her childhood at an upcoming event at Erik’s Church in Windham.

Author Cheryl Blanchard of
Raymond will discuss her popular 
book '236 Cumberland Ave. Portland,
Maine: Strange happenings in our
young lives' at Erik's Church in
Windham on Thursday, Feb. 27.
COURTESY PHOTO 

Blanchard is the author of "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our young lives," and she will be speaking at the meeting of Volunteers of America group at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 and everyone is welcome to attend.

The book is a recounting of tales from Blanchard and her siblings' recollections that haven't been spoken of for more than half a century. Published by Newman Springs Publishing, the book remains popular more than five years after it was first published, and especially among Maine residents.

“It's amazing how my story about my childhood and my gifted talents and all the music has touched so many and how it all saved our young souls through this time in our lives,” Blanchard said. “Volunteers of America had so much involvement with this. I've been so honored to have this invitation to meet with their team and to share more memories.”

In the book, Blanchard describes how she and her siblings would suddenly catch glimpses of silhouettes and shadowy figures looming on walls in their home without a human nearby casting a silhouette or shadow. She also discusses in detail finding a tunnel underneath the building she lived in, and many frightful memories associated with that.

"There are such a lot of memories for a small child at the age of 6, along with five brothers and five sisters who were also very young,” Blanchard said. “All of those memories are still living in the minds of all of us. We haven't talked about them in over 50 years. I would like to thank the Maine historian Herb Adams for asking me about the house up over Botto's Market that I lived in as a child."

Blanchard’s family eventually moved away from the building and the trauma and bad memories she and her siblings experienced living there. The entire block has been demolished since the family moved from there in the early 1970s.

Just a few years ago, one of her friends asked Blanchard to share some of her memories about growing up there and that led to the creation of "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives.”

Once her book was published, Blanchard was then interviewed on the Maine television show “207” and she also received a personal note from renowned Maine resident and noted author Stephen King, who is a master of telling “haunted” stories. In 2019, she was a guest of book groups that met at public libraries in Augusta and in Windham to discuss her book.

Despite being subjected to what she calls “paranormal occurrences” while growing up on Cumberland Avenue in Portland decades ago, Blanchard has gone on to lead a happy, productive and normal life otherwise.

Married, and a mother and a grandmother, Blanchard is now retired from a career in the nursing field. Many in the community know her from her time serving as a substitute teacher in Windham schools or for creating the first cheerleading squad for Windham Youth Football.

Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Blanchard's lively tales in the book are peppered with vivid descriptions of the historic district of her childhood and photos. Blanchard recalls everything from the smell of her mother's home cooking on the wood stove, to the numerous accounts of unexplained supernatural phenomena that the children experienced in their apartment over Botto's Market.

The stories contained in “236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives" serve as a primary document that offers a glimpse into life in a bygone era. Blanchard remains humble and appreciative that people find the book interesting and has a simple message to readers.

“Just remember how truly blessed we truly are, and I hope you hold your loved ones, always reach out and feed the hungry and clothe the less fortunate,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard’s book "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our young lives" is available for purchase at select bookstores in Maine, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Copies may also be purchased by contacting Blanchard at cherylblanchard43@gmail.com.

She says she’s been slowly working on writing an extension to “236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives" and perhaps another book. <

Windham Natural Resource Advisory Committee leads efforts to improve water quality

By Kaysa Jalbert

The Natural Resources Advisory Committee of Windham is working to improve protections on bodies of water that have been identified as polluted in the Windham, Grey and Falmouth areas, with a focus on lakes and streams.

McIntosh Stream in Lowell Preserve is just
one of many streams, lakes and ponds that
Windham's Natural Resources Advisory
Committee helps to protect. 
COURTESY PHOTO 

Dennis Brown participates in Falmouth Conservation Committee activities and serves as the chair of the Natural Resources Advisory Committee in Windham.

“Our job is to make sure that the streams and lakes and ponds in Windham are protected from further degradation and in fact improved,” says Brown.

Most of Brown’s work has been on improving the environmental protections on Highland Lake, which he says is considered one of the most protected lakes in the state. Seeing these improvements, the committee was able to get many of the same protections to apply to the other lakes in town.

Brown started working with the town of Gray two years ago to get them to instill similar protection to the ones in Windham. They had a meeting on the morning of Feb. 10 to discuss these protections and how they will focus these protections on lakes and streams.

Windham has five streams that are impaired and most of the lakes and ponds are on the Department of Environmental Protection list of most at risk of new development.

Brown says the committee’s solution is to keep its focus on increasing water protections, with some additional emphasis on the Pleasant River watershed and on Blackbrook Preserve.

While the lakes are monitored by local lake associations, it’s hard to get people invested in the streams.

“It’s hard to get the same enthusiasm as you get for a lake,” said Brown.

Recent focus of the NRAC has been on the Pleasant River, where there is already an established watershed program. However, watershed programs come in 10-year spans and it’s reaching the end of its term.

Recognizing that a large part of the river in located in Gray, Brown says the committee is working with the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust to focus water testing that’s done on many of the streams in the Windham, Portland, Westbrook area on the Pleasant River. It originates in the town of Gray and follows U.S. Route 202 as it flows through the town of Windham to discharge into the Presumpscot River upstream in South Windham.

It was discovered that the land trust has water testing sites for the Pleasant River, but they are all located in Windham. Brown was able to identify a spot on the Windham and Falmouth town line to find out if the water enters Windham in bad shape, or if Windham is causing the pollution. What was found is that the water coming in from Gray was already impaired. Brown is now working with the town of Gray to upgrade their water protection ordinates in the town.

“Sustainably encompasses environmental, economic, and social concerns, which are not mutually exclusive,” says Mary Wicklund, Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator in Windham. “No matter which perspective you choose, sustainability initiatives for the town are driven by the desire to create a more resilient future for our community.”

Wicklund started as the Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Windham in mid-September. The position of Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator is a specialized professional and technical position with responsibility for developing comprehensive policy and a strategic plan that encompasses current and long-term environmental initiatives towards a more environmentally sustainable future – including planning, managing, and coordinating the activities and implementation of the Stormwater Management Program.

This position has three priority areas:

MS4/Stormwater – Implement Windham’s MS4 General Permit with including annual inspections of stormwater infrastructure, conducting illicit discharge detection and elimination follow-up, providing technical training to municipal staff and board/committee members, and developing outreach for the community on issues relating to stormwater. Windham is a member of the Interlocal Stormwater Working Group (ISWG), a coalition of 14 municipalities and two nested communities in the greater Portland and Saco areas, who work together to address stormwater pollutants.

Watershed Management – Responsibility for coordinating watershed monitoring and protection efforts across the municipality. The town is partnering with Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District to identify, prioritize, and strategize ways to effectively protect and improve threatened or impaired waters. Efforts include working with the CCSWCD during efforts to implement and update the Pleasant River Watershed Management Plan and supporting the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust on volunteer water quality monitoring. With support from the Natural Area Resources Committee, the town offers Watershed Protection Grants to support watershed protection/improvement efforts throughout the Town.

Sustainability - Coordinate Town strategic plan and policies that encompass current and long-term initiatives toward a more environmentally and economically sustainable future.

According to Wicklund, Windham has more than 30 significant waterbodies that provide immeasurable benefits including high property values, tourism funding, and recreation opportunities such as boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, ice skating.

“Sustainability can be viewed from many angles,” Wicklund said. It may be protecting our numerous waterbodies for both environmental protection and economic growth or it may be reducing the municipality’s energy use. It may be looking at the comprehensive plan, and land use planning.”

Past actions taken by the Natural Resources Advisory Committee include coordinating a town-wide LED streetlight conversion, installing a 504-kilowatt solar array on the town’s former landfill, and updating the town’s Energy Plan.

The Natural Resources Advisory Committee was first established in Windham in 1997, with the purpose of serving as an advisory body to the Windham Town Council on issues related to the protection and enhancement of the community's natural resource base. It was amended in 2011 and again in 2017 but had had gone dormant for some time until it was reintroduced in 2018.

The Natural Resources Advisory Committee is responsible for identifying problems, recommending solutions and proposing policy goals for consideration by the Town Council which will preserve, protect, and enhance the community’s natural resources. In addition, they update town councilors about the status of the community’s natural resources, assist with the investigation of current and/or potential threats to the community’s natural resources and help educate the public on short-term and long-term threats to the community’s natural resources.

The committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Windham Town Hall. <

Funding to clean up contaminated Keddy Mill may be slashed

By Ed Pierce

With drastic budget reductions planned for many federal agencies, the status of available funding to complete the Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup of the contaminated Keddy Mill in South Windham is up in the air.

With uncertain funding available from the federal government,
the EPA Superfund's plans to demolish and clean up the
contaminated Keddy Mill in South Windham may have to be 
put on hold. The project is estimated to cost $17 million.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

The Keddy Mill site is located at 7 Depot St. in South Windham and includes a 6.93-acre abandoned mill complex property adjacent to the Presumpscot River. The mill building was constructed in the early 1900s although a sawmill existed there previously.

The sawmill closed in 1822, and the Keddy Mill property was then used as a grist and carding mill. In 1875, the Sebago Wood Board Company acquired the mill site and constructed a pulp mill complex, which included a three-story main mill building, machine room, drying rooms, and a wood preparing house. Between the late 1800s and 1922 additional process buildings/facilities were added, including storehouses, a second railroad siding, the finishing and shipping building, a water tank, machine room, and engine room. The mill was used for pulp and box-board manufacturing through the 1940s.

In 1945, the Keddy Mill shifted from manufacturing paper to steel products such as heavy equipment buckets. Scrap metal was transported by rail cars to the mill and melted into steel billets, which were then used to manufacture steel parts. By the 1960s and early 1970s, manufacturing included flanges and fire suppression materials. EPA officials say that it was during this period that significant disposal of hazardous substances, including harmful PCBs, may have occurred at the site. A large oil-based fire in 1969 damaged the mill complex and destroyed several blast furnaces and by 1974, a scrap recycler launched operations in the mill building.

The property was used as a machine shop and for equipment storage until 1997.

Since 2014, the Keddy Mill site has been included on the EPA’s National Priority List, also known as the Superfund, recognizing it as contaminated and hazardous to human health.

In 2023, after years of conducting environmental studies, the EPA Superfund adopted a cleanup and remediation plan based upon an EPA Remedial Investigation Report, human health and ecological risk assessments, the Feasibility Study, and comments received on EPA's Proposed Plan during a 30-day public comment period.

“EPA’s cleanup plan for the Keddy Mill Superfund Site is a strong effort to ensure the health and safety of community members, protecting them for generations to come,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash at the time. “Cleaning up Superfund sites helps us ensure that no community, no family, and no child has to face exposure to chemicals and other dangerous substances in their day-to-day lives.”

Consistent with Superfund agreements signed in 2022, the EPA has been developing plans for the implementation of various investigations which are necessary in advance of the mill's demolition. Data collection was completed in 2024 and the submittal of a PDI Report is anticipated by early April 2025. The results of these investigations will be evaluated and ultimately used to support the design of the demolition and removal activities.

Following approval of the design, the removal action will be implemented by the PRP and then EPA Superfund monies obtained for the work. That is, if adequate funding is made available.

EPA’s cleanup plan will take two to four years to design and execute and will take place after the significant completion of a Removal Action to demolish the mill complex and associated structures.

The cleanup plan includes the following components:

* Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil and debris from the Mill Complex property.

* Targeted treatment of soil (within the footprint of the excavation) with amendments in support of groundwater cleanup.

* In place treatment of groundwater contaminants.

* Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated sediments from the Presumpscot River.

* Treatment of water generated from soil and sediment dewatering and removed from excavations based on applicable water discharge standards, as required

* Restoration of the portions of the Presumpscot River altered by the remedial cleanup action.

* Land use restrictions to prevent exposure to site-related contaminants in groundwater and fish tissue until cleanup levels are met.

* Inspections and operation and maintenance.

* Monitoring of groundwater and fish tissue to evaluate the achievement of cleanup levels.

* Five-Year Reviews to assess the protectiveness of the remedy.

EPA estimates that the total cost of this portion of the Keddy Mill cleanup project, including construction, operation and maintenance, and long-term monitoring, will be about $17 million. The Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country to protect people's health and the environment.

But finding necessary funding for the cleanup may prove to be a significant challenge. At least $19 billion in Environmental Protection Agency funding to thousands of state and local governments and nonprofits remained on hold through last Friday and permanent budget reductions to environmental remediation programs may mean that the Keddy Mill Superfund cleanup work could be indefinitely on hold. <