Community Projects
Mobilize Katahdin - COVID -19 Community Response | Mobilize Katahdin is a coalition of partners in the Katahdin Region dedicated to organizing mutual aid efforts and connecting people to accurate information and local resources. Modelled after other quick community responses within Maine, Mobilize Katahdin contributions will be used to support our Katahdin region community members impacted by COVID-19. This community support fund will be used to help neighbors whose households are facing economic crisis due to employers closing or needing to stay home from work to care for children while schools are closed.
Already, we are seeing hardship in our communities and know that assistance with fuel costs, groceries, and household cleaning supplies are needed. We are initiating this fund in anticipation of needs rising in the coming weeks and months.
Latest News
Greetings from your friends at Our Katahdin. We hope you are keeping healthy and safe during these truly extraordinary times. We are inspired to see our community banding together and supporting each other as we find new ways of living and staying productive.
Like you, we are so grateful to our dedicated local healthcare professionals, first responders, retail employees, educators, volunteers and other essential frontline workers who remain the courageous engines of our community and country, now more than ever. COVID-19 is affecting all of us, either through direct health effects or indirectly through unprecedented closures. These effects are felt most strongly by our most vulnerable populations.
Our Katahdin had a busy summer, and we are pleased to share what we've been up to. A few highlights include:
- Paying the back taxes owed to the Town of Millinocket for GNP West in the amount of $160,815.27 to resolve the town liens on the mill property.
- Mailing the payment check to the IRS for the remainder of the $450,000 settlement. The IRS received the check on October 15th and now has 30 days to discharge the lien on the Millinocket mill site property.
- Transporting and refurbishing electric transformers to the Millinocket mill site. These will be critical to stepping down power to distribute electricity to the existing buildings.
- Completing the Brownfield clean-up process at 230 Penobscot, which paves the way for further renovations in the spring.
Happy 4th of July! With expected temperatures in the 90's for our 4th Annual Cornhole Tournament this Friday at 4:00 pm, summer has arrived! Come join the fun and watch teams huck bean bags to support Our Katahdin at the Scootic In in downtown Millinocket. The Scootic will have a beer tent and we'll bring the koozies! Keep the downtown fun going with a street dance that starts next door at the Bandstand at 7:00 pm.
To learn more about the work we've been up to, please keep reading for updates on the mill site, the IRS lien, 230 Penobscot and more!
We hope everyone has a fun and safe time visiting with family and friends over the holiday weekend.
Millinocket, ME - Our Katahdin, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has reached a $450,000 settlement amount with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that will allow for full discharge of the $1.5 million federal lien on the 1,400-acre former Great Northern Paper mill site in Millinocket. This federal lien is a legacy debt that came with the property and has been a primary impediment to redeveloping the mill site.
Spring is finally starting to show up here in the north woods. The snow is melting rapidly, the rivers are running, bare ground is starting to green up, and the mountain is as beautiful as ever still covered in snow. Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to over the winter.
Our Katahdin has high hopes for the future of the Katahdin Region. We support three economic drivers: the forest products economy with traditional and modern applications, the digital economy with fiber broadband, and the outdoor recreation economy with potential for four-season destination development. We believe in doing this work collaboratively, which is why we staff the regional network called the Katahdin Collaborative.
Development of a downtown hub to support entrepreneurs, remote workers, and small businesses in downtown Millinocket is underway. Our Katahdin is pleased to announce that Liz Trice, the founder and owner of the co-working space PelotonLabs in Portland, ME has been awarded a contract to work with the Our Katahdin team to design a business plan and operations manual for a co-working space at 230 Penobscot Avenue in Millinocket, ME.
Our Katahdin firmly believes that supporting and growing small businesses in rural communities will lead to sustainable economic growth and more vibrant downtowns.
Four years ago, Our Katahdin was born. It was born with nothing more than a strong belief in the people and the future of the Katahdin Region. People have been stepping forward with ideas for "small wins" ever since. We've learned a lot since our first fundraiser to decorate the bandstand for Christmas back in 2014, and our optimism for the future of the region has only grown.
As our portfolio of projects continues to grow in complexity, a top priority for us moving forward is to do a better job staying connected, well-informed, and involved in our shared work of moving our region forward. We never want Our Katahdin to be a typical nonprofit organization. We want it to be a movement, driven by diversity in ideas and collective action. This is the first edition of what we intend to be a regular newsletter to highlight the latest news and notify you of upcoming events and opportunities.
