CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou has hired a local contractor to lead the cleanup of the former diesel power plant near the city’s riverfront.
Councilors voted Monday evening to hire Caribou-based County Environmental Engineering. As a Qualified Environmental Professional, Michelle Hersey, president of County Environmental, will be in charge of hazardous waste removal from the diesel plant and adjacent buildings.
Caribou has been targeting the former diesel and steam power plants as cleanup sites for years. This summer, the city received $900,000 in federal Brownfields funds to demolish the diesel plant and remove hazardous waste. The project marks the first step in possibly creating a public recreation area, which could include a park and connections to walking trails.
The city expects the cleanup to begin in spring 2024. Before then, Hersey would like to hold a public meeting so residents can weigh in on what they’d like to see at the power plant sites after the entire cleanup is complete.
A report published by County Environmental last year found asbestos measuring 12,500 square feet in the diesel plant’s roof, 1,600 square feet within window glaze and 600 square feet in floor tiles and mastic.
Smaller buildings contain oil drums that once helped power the plant’s operations. The drums are 55 gallons each and contain petroleum waste that could leak into the Aroostook River.
County Environmental was the only company to respond to the city’s request for proposals for the diesel plant cleanup, said City Manager Penny Thompson.
The city will pay County Environmental $82,000 for their services. Hersey will be in charge of hiring contractors to work on the project.
“This will all be included in the $900,000 grant,” Thompson said.
This fall, Caribou will pursue Brownfields funding to clean up the former steam plant.
In other business, councilors voted unanimously to send a notice of violation to Laurie Mueller, owner of 24 Park St. The council declared the building dangerous during a public hearing in June.
The notice orders Mueller, who now lives in Presque Isle and is now known as Laurie Lavangie, to present a plan for cleaning up the property within 30 days and to execute that plan within 90 days after receiving the notice.
The city first served Lavangie and her late husband Jeffrey Mueller a notice of violation in 2010, two years before Jeffrey died. That notice alleged that the Muellers were not mowing their lawn and had left their basement door open.
The city’s new notice states that 24 Park St. has been vacant since 2010. It alleges that the home has foundation issues and that Lavangie has not taken action to repair the property.
Councilors appointed Caribou resident Robert Carlson to the Nylander Museum Board of Trustees. Carlson is an English instructor at Northern Maine Community College. He replaces former board member Romeo Parent, who was appointed in May but has since stepped down. His term will expire Dec. 31, 2023.
The city reestablished a board of trustees for the Nylander earlier this year, in hopes of reopening the museum, which closed during the pandemic.
Councilors also approved an overlimit permit for the Maine Department of Transportation. The agreement will allow DOT contractors to drive over the posted speed limit while doing construction work on Bridge Street, which includes a bridge over Caribou Stream. The maximum speed limit for trucks on any city roads will be 25 miles per hour.
The City Council canceled its Monday, Sept. 11, regular meeting. Due to the Labor Day holiday, Cary Medical Center’s board of directors will meet on Sept. 11. As city manager, Thompson is a non-voting member of that board and said she wishes to attend. The council did not reschedule the meeting.
The next regular Caribou City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at Caribou Municipal Building, 25 High St.
