Bates Mill #5

Final Report

2008-03-01T12:34:00.005-05:00

Attached is the final report for the Bates Mill # 5 Task Force.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Appendices

2008-02-29T14:23:00.008-05:00

Below are the combined links to appendices for the Bates Mill #5 Task Force Report. A few files have not yet been uploaded. Please email batesmill5@gmail.com if you are looking for those particular files.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

I. TASK FORCE

CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION
COMMITTEE ROSTER
PUBLIC MEETINGS: Jan 5th Minutes, Feb 26th Minutes
PUBLIC MEETING FACT SHEET
FEEDBACK FROM PUBLIC
PUBLIC EMAILS AND LETTERS

II. STRUCTURAL INFORMATION

III. PLANNING

LETTER TO COUNCILS FOR JOINT DOWNTOWN PLANNING
WESTERN GATEWAY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN and MAP
BATES MILL MASTER PLAN

IV. DEMOLITION

BEAUPARLANT MEMO/ESTIMATE
COSTELLO ESTIMATE
END WALL CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE
SPREADSHEET FOR DEMOLITION 20 YEAR COSTS

VI. CONVENTION CENTER

VII. OTHER USES

RKG ASSOCIATES HIGHEST AND BEST USE LETTER
PARKING GARAGE AS REUSE MEMO (PLATZ)
CULTURAL/ACADEMIC SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
RETAIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
CONVENTION CENTER SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
LA MUSEUM ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT
RFP POINT SYSTEM IDEA
BATES MILL PARKING AGREEMENT SCHEMATIC

2003 ERA Conference/Convention Center Economic Analysis

2008-02-20T07:07:00.001-05:00

In 2003, ERA was commissioned to update their 2001 conference and meeting analysis. As previously, they but the analysis and projections on a survey of groups who were in the suggested market of a Lewiston-Auburn Convention Center.

Here is a link to that file.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

L/A Excels Laid Early Joint Planning Framework

2008-02-17T18:45:00.004-05:00

The L/A Excels effort of the Cities of Lewiston and Auburn placed any future re-use of Bates Mill #5 and its site at the center of a revitalized downtown Lewiston/Auburn. While at the time of this effort, the joint planning was simply a charette-based initiative, the pending Joint Downtown Master Plan may lay a policy framework to unify the downtowns as one economic unit, rather than two.

See here is a map depicting the planning efforts for downtown L/A arising from the L/A Excels process.

Jonathan LaBonte
Auburn

Task Force: Equal Cost Means Many Options

2008-02-17T15:44:00.005-05:00

My co-chair and I penned an Op-Ed in today's paper. Check it out.
Equal costs mean many options
By Rep. Mike Carey and Jonathan LaBonte Special to the Sun Journal

Sunday, February 17, 2008

What to do with Bates Mill No. 5 is a critical decision for the Lewiston City Council. The building's size, history and location offer a unique opportunity and a daunting challenge. Our community debate should be grounded in our shared vision for our cities.

The Bates Mill No. 5 Task Force is a group of 15 citizens tasked by the former city council to identify options for using the building and the site. We will not make a formal recommendation - the decision rests with the city council. The task force's goal is to foster a community debate about the building and site, and how it can help realize our communities' goals.

The decision of how to use Mill No. 5 is difficult, because every option is expensive. There are generally three basic alternatives: continuing the current use, demolition, or rehabilitation. Each use will most likely result in losses of between $300,000 and $400,000 per year...finish reading

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Elliot Epstein: The Value of Mill No. 5

2008-02-17T15:15:00.007-05:00

Sun-Journal Columnist Elliot Epstein wrote this week about the history of Mill No. 5. Click on the picture or article title to read in its entirety and view reader comments.

The value of Mill No. 5

By Elliott Epstein , Rearview Mirror
Sunday, February 17, 2008

What's the importance of an old building? Just the soul of a community, that's all.

The fate of Bates Mill No. 5, a Lewiston landmark, now hangs in the balance. In the next few months, the city will likely decide whether this 94-year-old structure is to be demolished, sold or renovated.

If Mill No. 5 were the White House, the conclusion would be foregone. The executive mansion has had many publicly funded makeovers in the past two centuries, including an almost complete reconstruction from 1948 to 1952.

Yet no one ever considered razing and replacing it with a glass-and-steel office tower, topped by a presidential penthouse suite. After all, its elegant façade is an icon of American political power.

Mill No. 5 is not on symbolic par with the White House, but it's a potent symbol nonetheless: of U.S. economic power. It represents the junction of two great epochs of America's Industrial Revolution - textiles and automobiles...

Click here to finish reading.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Councilor Reed Economic Development Column

2008-02-17T14:41:00.005-05:00

Lewiston City Councilor Robert Reed penned a column in the Feb 7th edition of the Twin City Times. His topic was Lewiston Economic Development in general, and Bates Mill No. 5 in particular. To read , click on the image below:

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Lewiston Master Plan

2008-02-17T08:34:00.006-05:00

The Lewiston Master Plan was finished in October 1999 by the Mayor’s Downtown Renaissance Task Force in association with RKG Associate, Inc. Click on the picture for a larger plan:

What is currently the Western Gateway was split between two Districts (Mill District and Western Gateway District). They had the following goals: “Develop as attractive, viable entryway to the City” and “Continue to develop as major employment center in the downtown.”

The relevant Short Term (1-2 years) actions are:

Work in conjunction with Auburn to bring about a hotel/conference center complex in the downtown area.
Evaluate usage of Mill #5 as a possible parking structure.
After demolition, consider properties adjacent to Mill #5 and Main Street as a redevelopment site or for a boulevard treatment and greenway entrance.
Continue development efforts at Bates Mill including parking (allowing for landscaping and buffering).
Evaluate feasibility of an arts/cultural complex in the Bates Mill;

The relevant Medium Term (3+ years) Actions are:

Consider creating a “canal walk” atmosphere around the District.
Consider limited expansion of canal system in this district to stimulate developer demand (views of river, quick access to bridge, etc).
Evaluate feasibility of a community college in the Bates Mill.
Evaluate feasibility of artists lofts in the Bates Mill.

Master Plan resources include:

City web site with good narrative overview
Report Cover Sheet which includes the list of significant actions and the Mill District portions of the plan
Section 1 which includes the the Western Gateway portion of the plan

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Joint Downtown Planning

2008-02-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

The Task Force believes that Lewiston and Auburn downtowns function economically as one community. We believe that downtown planning efforts should reflect that. We sent a letter to both councils urging the creation of a Lewiston/Auburn Joint Downtown Planning Commission.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Sun-Journal: Task Force Update

2008-02-16T16:20:00.001-05:00

The Mill 5 Task Force met with Former Bates Head Engineer Bud Lewis on Jan 31st. The Sun-Journal reported on that meeting and on the work of the Task Force. Click on the article title to read entire article and comments.

Former Bates engineer urges razing Mill No. 5

By Scott Taylor , Staff Writer
Monday, February 4, 2008 LEWISTON - Emotion will play as big a role in the future of the Bates Mill No. 5 as common sense, according to a former building engineer.

"It's a money decision, but that's not what it's going to come down to," said William B. Lewis, former chief engineer at Bates Manufacturing. "Some people are practical and others tend to be sentimental. How people are, that's what's going to decide this."

Without a doubt, Lewis said he's on the practical, common-sense side. He's advocating for tearing the building down. It's an idea he offered in a letter to the editor last month and one he discussed with the Bates Mill No. 5 task force Thursday.

According to Lewis, the circa 1912 building was never built to last, and years of vibration from looms have caused stress and other deterioration. Years of neglect will make it expensive to fix.

But he admits its size will make it expensive to tear down... Finish Article

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Bud Lewis: Demolish Mill No. 5

2008-02-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

Demolish Mill No. 5

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Lewiston is currently considering the future of Bates Mill No.5. I must express my assessment of this building.

I am a registered professional engineer, and was chief engineer for Bates from 1954 to 1985, and an engineering consultant to Bates until 2000. This structure, erected in 1912, was an early example of reinforced concrete sawtooth roof construction, designed and built to then current standards and methods, which today are woefully inadequate.

Too many years of exposure to high humidity required for weaving, severe vibration from looms, and extreme temperature differentials, indoors to outdoors, have resulted in widespread cracks in the concrete roof, leakage, and subsequent reinforcing bar corrosion. Concrete from the roof has fallen on the weave room floor. Rusted reinforcing bars are visable throughout the area. Snow load capacity is now less than designed, which is less than today's building code requirements.

The building was erected on filled land next to the canal system, and suffers from settling foundations. This has resulted in the severe cracking of concrete at floor beam to column joints in one area. Extensive floor settlement has occurred in several areas.

An old Lewiston main sewer, bypassed in the 1970s, runs underneath the main canal and the middle of No. 5 Mill. Serious cave-ins have occurred in like environments at Bates Manufacturing's former Androscoggin, Bates, Hill and Edwards mills.

In my opinion, despite understandable sentimental feelings, this building should be demolished to make way for new construction meeting today's building codes and tomorrow's needs.

William B. Lewis, Auburn

Peter Steele: How to Attract Private Investment?

2008-02-16T16:00:00.001-05:00

Peter Steele opined in the Jan 24th edition of the Twin City Times. Click on the image to link to the article.
Mike Carey
Lewiston

TCT Covers Jan 5th Public Meeting

2008-02-16T15:48:00.005-05:00

Click on the image for the link to the entire article.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Sun-Journal Article about Public Meeting

2008-02-16T15:48:00.003-05:00

The Sun-Journal covered the public meeting. Click on the picture or title to read the full article and the comments.

Mulling over future of mill No. 5 Scores take up the challenge to create a new life for city's slumbering giant

By Carol Coultas , Staff Writer
Sunday, January 6, 2008

LEWISTON - More than 100 people bobbed their heads in unison on a tour of Bates Mill No. 5 Saturday, the warm-up to a brain-storming session on the future of the nearly century-old mill.

"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

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Jan 5th Public Meeting

2008-02-16T15:02:00.013-05:00

The City Council mandate included the following: "The Task Force shall conduct at least one public hearing prior to issuance of the final report".
Most of the 15 citizen members of the Task Force had no little or no professional experience with the structural, financial and functional topics inherent in the re-use of a building or site on the scale of Mill #5. After considering and debating possible uses, we commissioned a series of professional studies to guide our deliberations.
We decided to have two public meetings, one before we received professional reports, and the second after.
The first meeting, on January 5th, had three elements:

A tour of the facility lead by Steve Myers of Platz Associates. Much of the information from the tour is available in a fact sheet.

Public Meeting participants received a handout about the building that included some information abstructural facts and information about historical operating losses.
A presentation by co-chairs Mike Carey and Jonathan Labonte. The size of that presentation prevents it from being posted online, but it is available by emailing batesmill5@gmail.com
Small group conversations about possible uses for the building and land. Notes from those conversations can be found at: notes.

The Sun-Journal published a story the next day.
Architect Gabrielle Russell sent the Task Force a letter after the meeting with a forceful argument for the building's preservation. She included a document detailing the costs and financial benefits of Green Building.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Mill #5 Structural Fact Sheet

2008-02-16T14:27:00.005-05:00

Allan Turgeon, Property Manager for the Bates Mill Complex, has prepared a fact sheet for Bates Mill #5. Some of the topics addressed include:

Albert Kahn and the mill’s design

Structural Condition
Environmental Condition
Hydroelectric Substation owned by FPL Energy

We welcome you to read the fact sheet.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Western Gateway District

2008-02-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

The Task Force recognizes that the Mill #5 block is also a gateway—perhaps The Gateway—to the City of Lewiston and that it was necessary to consider its future use through that prism.
The City of Lewiston's Western Gateway includes the land between the river and two canals in addition to the Bates Mill complex. Click on the picture for a larger plan:

The Lewiston City Council approved the creation of a Western Gateway Development District at the October 16th, 2007 City Council Meeting.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

2001 ERA Conference and Meeting Facility Analysis

2008-02-16T14:22:00.013-05:00

Economics Research Associates (ERA) completed a Conference and Meeting Facility Analysis in February, 2001 for LA Excels. The study was to "evaluate the development potentials of the project."
ERA found the following competitive attributes, the positive:

Central location within Maine
Excellent regional road access
Availability of local demand generators

and the negative:

Residual "mill town" image
Small concentration of state/federal employees
Size and quality of hotel/motel inventory
Lack of direct air access
Availability of visitor amenities and services
Proxmity to Augusta and Portland.

Based on their analysis, ERA felt that L-A could capture a greater share of the state and regional meetings market and could accommodate state/regional conventions, trade and consumer shows and local non-meeting events.
ERA suggested the following building program:

Total building: 35,000-40,000 SF
Exhibit/Ballroom: 12,000-20,000 SF
Meeting Rooms: 15 high-quality rooms, 10,000 SF
Need minimum 2.4 acres
Provision for parking 525 cars

The study can be found here. There are three appendices: Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C.

This study was updated in 2003 and 2007 using the same methodology.

At the same time they did a Regional Center for the Arts Analysis. In that study, they found demand for (among other things):

Two new performance spaces, one 200-400 seat space designed for theatrical performances and one 300-500 seat acoustical space designed for orchestral and choral performances.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

2001 Statewide Meeting and Convention Facilities Feasibility and Siting Study

2008-02-16T14:20:00.001-05:00

Conventions Sports & Leisure (CSL) completed a study in March, 2001 for the Maine Meetings and Conventions Committee. The study looks at Lewiston-Auburn as one of six regions statewide (Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Aroostook, and Coastal/Mountain were the others), and is focused on the compatibility of all sites.

Portland and Bangor were identified as the markets for large convention facilities (70,000 SF and 30,000 SF of sellable space respectively). Lewiston-Auburn was slated for a small center to attract smaller conference and other events tied to area colleges and other local events (+/-15,000 – 20,000 SF sellable space).

Lewiston-Auburn market strengths were access to Portland, growth of downtowns and surrounding areas, and the existence of a college and cultural focus. Weaknesses were a lack of a local major airport, size of the corporate base, and the a significant convention quality hotel base.

The executive summary is posted online. To receive the full report email ljeffers@ci.lewiston.me.us.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

2000 Protze Concrete Report

2008-02-16T14:12:00.005-05:00

Herman Protze, an international expert on concrete, investigated the concrete in Mill #5 on April, 2000. The purpose was “to assess to condition of structural reinforced concrete beams and to evaluate the feasibility of repairing deteriorated concrete.” Click on image for report.
He found that “the deteriorated concrete is amendable to repair and mitigation… A rough estimate of the cost of repairing and mitigating the exterior of the mill building is approximately $330,000… The repair and coated concrete will provide an additional life value of the structure of over an additional 50 years.”

Please read the report’s entire executive summary.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

1998 Shelley Structural Report

2008-02-16T13:54:00.006-05:00

In April 1998, Professional Engineer Timothy Shelley completed an inspection of Mill #5. The purpose of the inspection “was to identify any elements of the existing roof structure that are deficient”. Click on the image for the report.

Of the approximately 200 structural girders, the inspection found:

20% in Excellent Condition
45% in Good Condition
22% in Fair Condition
3% in Poor Condition
6% were not inspected because they had been upgraded in September 1997
4% could not be accessed

You can read the report here: report.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

1997 Coopers & Lybrand Market Study

2008-02-16T13:44:00.001-05:00

Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. (Coopers) completed a study in September, 1997 for the Lewiston Redevelopment Corporation to “analyze and estimate the potential market demand and economic impact” of a proposed convention center in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine.

Coopers conducted a study of 100 state and regional associations to provide indications of demand, space requirements and usage patters of state and regional association event planners. Additionally, 30 Canadian and United States association and trade show event organizers were contacted. Those events were specifically targeted basted on their industry and other characteristics to coincide with primary Maine and Lewiston-Auburn industries.

Click here to access report.

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Mill #5 Task Force

2008-02-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

The Bates Mill Building Number Five Task Force was created by the City Council on March 06, 2007 by a unanimous vote.
Below are the controlling excerpts of the Task Force's mandate:

"9. The Task Force "shall identify a number of possible uses for the building and land known as Bates Mill #5. They shall identify the advantages and disadvantages of each of the uses."
"10. The Task Force shall identify the short term and long term costs for each of the options that are identified and considered to be viable options for the community to consider."
"11. The Task Force shall include a reasonable implementation plan and schedule for any of the options that they consider to be viable."

The members of the task force are:

Eric Agren	Lewiston Resident
Richard Albert	Lewiston Resident
Elmer Berry	Androscoggin County Government representative
Michael Carey	Lewiston Resident - Co-Chair
Daniel Cote	Lewiston Resident
Rachel Desgrosseilliers	Museum LA Representative
Lucien Gosselin	LAEGC representative
Bob Hayes	City of Auburn representative
Jonathan Labonte	Auburn resident - Co-Chair
Luke Lazure	Lewiston Resident
John Milo	Historic Preservation Review Board
Tom Platz	Auburn resident
Paul Robinson	Lewiston Resident
Peter Traill	Chamber of Commerce representative
Jennifer Williams	Lewiston Resident

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Bates Mill #5 Blog Purpose

2008-02-16T12:45:00.002-05:00

The purpose of this blog is to provide a forum for a broad-ranging debate about the future of our communities, and about the future of Mill #5. Comments are welcome. We want no barriers to participation. Anonymous comments are permitted, but we do ask that all participants identify themselves by full given name and their community.

Should there be a need to remove comments or change this policy, we will rely on the Lewiston Sun Journal's Blog Participation Policy and Reader Agreement.

Mike Carey
Lewiston