CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou city councilors received an update on steam plant cleanup efforts and took several actions toward further remediating that property and others in the city Monday.
In July, the federal Environmental Protection Agency began a $2 million cleanup of the city’s 12,288-square-foot steam plant, part of a defunct power plant on Lower Lyndon Street. The city has pegged the eventual removal of the steam plant, the nearby 10,290-square-foot diesel plant and smaller buildings as major steps in revitalizing the riverfront for recreation.
The EPA has so far removed 30 tons of asbestos from the steam plant and expects to complete their work by Thanksgiving, said City Manager Penny Thompson.
In total, the steam plant contains 12,220 square feet of asbestos within the roof, 1,400 square feet within window glazing and 600 square feet in floor tiles and mastic. Unlike the diesel plant, the steam plant contains “friable” asbestos, which is softer and needs more precautions to avoid air pollution.
In August, Catherine Young, the EPA’s on-site coordinator at the steam plant, said that workers would use large, enclosed containers to remove asbestos without opening a lid, and constantly monitor air quality.
So far the EPA has utilized six of those specialty containers in their asbestos removal and expect to finish the cleanup even earlier than anticipated, Thompson said.
The EPA is also removing non-asbestos waste, such as over 60 acid batteries, waste drums containing leftover solvents, fuels and acids.
“We’re lucky to have good partners with the EPA. They’ve been great to work with,” Thompson said.
Since the EPA’s emergency action only covers chemicals deemed most dangerous for public health, that means the city will need to oversee the cleanup of other chemicals left in the steam plant after the EPA leaves.
Councilors authorized Thompson to move forward with applying for a federal Brownfields grant to cover that remaining cleanup. A public hearing will be held in the council chambers Thursday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. after the city confirms the total estimated cleanup costs with the EPA.
In spring 2025, the EPA will give the city a full report that summarizes what remains to be cleaned up and recommend how the city should proceed, Thompson said.
The city will begin cleaning up the diesel plant through a $900,000 Brownfields grant that is separate from the EPA’s current project. Work will begin there after the EPA has fully demobilized at the steam plant.
In a smaller-scale project, Caribou will use a $24,000 grant and $24,000 loan from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund to remove polychlorinated biphenyl, known as PCB, from soils at the former site of the Bird’s Eye food processing plant, near where the city wants to build a new police station.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs are a type of man-made chlorinated hydrocarbons commonly found in electrical, heat transfer and hydraulic equipment; plasticizers in paints, rubber and plastic products; pigments, dyes and carbonless copy paper. PCBs have mainly been studied in animals and have been linked to certain neurological and immune system issues and some cancers.
The city has set aside $16,889 for the loan repayment and will cover the remaining through Tax Increment Financing District funds set aside for blight removal, Thompson said.
In other business, city councilors opted to not purchase a new ambulance, despite the recommendation of Caribou Fire & Ambulance Chief Brian Lajoie.
Lajoie proposed that the city replace its 2017 Freightliner Super Chief Model ambulance with a 2024 Demers model, with a Ford F-550 diesel chassis. The department purchased the 2017 ambulance for long-term transfers but recently have shifted to more local calls due to staffing and higher call volumes.
Caribou Fire & Ambulance received 246 local 9/11 calls in May 2024, 236 in June, 233 in July, 262 in August and 276 in September. Those numbers rose from the same period in 2023: 174, May; 192, June; 204, July; 219, August; and 223, September. The service area includes Caribou, Woodland, Connor Township, New Sweden, Westmanland, Stockholm, Caswell, Limestone and Madawaska Lake.
Built for long-term transfers, the 2017 ambulance is too large to fit into more narrow driveways and the front and back wheels do not align with the grooves that often are present on Aroostook County roadways, Lajoie said.
The 2024 ambulance from the Frenchville-based dealer Autotronics would cost $328,700, with a reduced price because another EMS department was unable to purchase the vehicle, Lajoie said. That would save the city $51,000 off the vehicle’s value and include a $30,000 power-load system, $800 Ford discount and $2,500 repeat customer discount, if the city made the purchase by Nov. 1.
But councilors questioned replacing the 2017 ambulance before the end of its typical 10-year lifespan and with little time to decide.
“I don’t like the timeframe that they’ve given us,” said Councilor Joan Theriault. “If we have to replace something, I think we should look into whether a van [ambulance] would be worth a try, just for one of the ambulances.”
Lajoie said that although a van might be suitable for minor calls, there is the risk that the same crew could then receive a call to help a patient with more critical needs, which requires a full-sized ambulance.
“There isn’t time to go back and get the right ambulance,” Lajoie said.
Councilors agreed to have more conversations on building up the public safety reserve accounts to better prepare for future ambulance and equipment purchases.
The council awarded two $7,000 facade improvement grants to Big Cheese Pizza, located at 556 Main Street, and Fifty8 and Maine, an upcoming retail store to be located at 81 Sweden St., for major exterior remodels.
They also approved the purchase of a new lawn mower for Parks & Recreation. After receiving two local bids, the council opted for a $11,350 mower from Luke’s Small Engine Shop in Caribou. Funds will come from the lawn mower reserve account, which currently has $13,595. Parks & Rec recently sold their former 2015 mower for $2,500.
The next Caribou City Council meeting will be held Monday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Caribou Municipal Building at 25 High St.
