Mulling over future of mill No. 5 Scores take up the challenge to create a new life for city's slumbering giant
,
Sunday,
"You can see where the cotton dust is still hanging," said tour director and urban planner Steve Myers, as dozens of people craned their heads upward to look at the coated steel beams, remnants of the mill's heyday as the weave shed for Bates Manufacturing.
"Now watch your step," he added, as the the crowd obediently dropped its collective gaze to the uneven wood floors and continued on.
The tour through the 365,000-square-foot building - bigger than the Auburn Mall - was intended to give the crowd a sense of the historic structure before the Bates Mill No. 5 Task Force tapped them for ideas on what to do with it. But for some, it was already familiar terrain.
"Both my parents worked here," said Vic Gagnon, as he surveyed the old loom space. "This is L-A. This is what we're all about."... Finish Reading
Lewiston
1 comment:
Here are the comments from the article at sunjournal.com
- Mike Carey
Comments
Posted By:Morning Man at January 6, 2008 7:15 AM (Suggest Removal)
Whatever happens, a for profit company needs to operate the space. Otherwise, it will end up costing the taxpayers much more than it currnetly does.
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Posted By:Itchy Beaver at January 6, 2008 8:16 AM (Suggest Removal)
The building has been closed since 1993. In 14 years, no one has come up with a viable plan to re-use the building. The taxpayers of Lewiston have spent enormous sums to "carry" the building. (paragraph break)The taxpayers have been more than generous and it is time to take a realistic assessment of the future prospects of the building. I commend the citizen's committee for doing just that.(paragraph break)As tempting as it is to do so, the city should not be in the real estate business. We do not need any more community centers in Lewiston and the property needs to generate taxes if it is to remain standing. I rather convinced that there is neither the use nor the will to transform this ark into a tax generating property.(paragraph break)Buildings do out-live their utility. We need to move forward and, if, at the end of the committee's process, no private sector solution that can stand without taxpayer support.(paragraph break)My prediction: It will be demolished and the land put up for sale.
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Posted By:... at January 6, 2008 10:29 AM (Suggest Removal)
To demolish that building is like demolishing the past of Lewiston. Those mills are the very reason why Lewiston has stuck around so long. In EVERY sense they are as historical as any other building in the U.S. I don't care what they do, as long as they do something with it. Demolishing it has to be out of the question.
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Posted By:rita at January 6, 2008 10:29 AM (Suggest Removal)
this building is nothing but a financial black hole. it needs to be torn down. sell the land or make a new park.
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Posted By:Chad at January 6, 2008 11:33 AM (Suggest Removal)
Tear it down but try to reuse some of the wooden floors and brick work. Richmond Virginia is a perfect example of re-using the old brick mills in downtown Virginia.
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Posted By:BRICK at January 6, 2008 12:33 PM (Suggest Removal)
I like a lot of the ideas, especially the Faneuil Hall-type retail complex. The problem with most of the really good ideas is indicative of the L-A; there arn't enough people around. There isn't a large enough econmomic base. To have such would requier more people. So, atract more people with more money to spend, more investors, more, more, more.... Do we really want to do this? At what cost do we want to save a grand old building? Sure the structure is great but it just may have outlived its usefulness. Without the people and the money, saving the building will never happen.
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Posted By:blackhawkdown at January 6, 2008 2:28 PM (Suggest Removal)
what happened to developer platz they got rid of acs which employed 400 locals.they gave everything to bank north now people have to go up the outragious hill to get to work im convinced this city really does sux
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Posted By:garry at January 6, 2008 4:51 PM (Suggest Removal)
Sell, tear down, or give it away. This property has and is costing the taxpayers of lewiston far to much. Time to pull the plug and less our tax burden.
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Posted By:blackhawkdown at January 6, 2008 5:02 PM (Suggest Removal)
why the city so into getting acs/livebridge out of there all that space rented out and used and employed hundreds of people.what or who had there pockets being fill by bank north ??????????the is empty and not being used for nothing just like the flooring guy too he wanted to retire but platz and the city needed the space hmmmmmmmmmmmthat girl that got killed from acs needed transportationcause of them having not with in walking distance i went to city hall and the planner on the third floor told me they doubled the parking fee therenow they have a empty building and off couse the parking garage.did anyone know that the parking garage by oxford networks on lisbon st was built on leased land from the owner of food city that made sence.......how about the room rental house on canal street it was always vacant and never had anyone living there which council member ownedit ???????????/and receives over three hundred thousand for it ???????????the three buildings that got burnt up did the city recieve any money for it ???????????//the owners receive millions for the well vacated buildings that were nothing but a eyesore.
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