Final Report

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

Mike Carey
Lewiston

Appendices

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

1. CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION
2. COMMITTEE ROSTER
3. PUBLIC MEETINGS: Jan 5th Minutes, Feb 26th Minutes
4. PUBLIC MEETING FACT SHEET
5. FEEDBACK FROM PUBLIC
6. PUBLIC EMAILS AND LETTERS

II. STRUCTURAL INFORMATION

1. BATES MILL #5 HISTORIC CAPITAL EXPENDITURES MEMO
2. BATES MILL #5 OPERATING COST MEMO
3. SHELLEY ROOF STRUCTURAL INSPECTION REPORT
4. PROTZ CONCRETE STUDY
5. FORMER BATES CHIEF ENGINEER LETTER TO EDITOR

III. PLANNING

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

IV. DEMOLITION

1. BEAUPARLANT MEMO/ESTIMATE
2. COSTELLO ESTIMATE
3. END WALL CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE
4. SPREADSHEET FOR DEMOLITION 20 YEAR COSTS
   

VI. CONVENTION CENTER

1. COOPER & LYBRAND STUDY
2. ME CONVENTION CENTER STUDY
3. ECONOMIC RESEARCH ASSOCIATES 2001
4. ECONOMIC RESEARCH ASSOCIATES 2003
5. ECONOMIC RESEARCH ASSOCIATES 2008
6. CITY REFERENDUM RESULTS
7. PLATZ ASSOCIATES OVERVIEW
8. PLATZ ASSOCIATES – SPACE ALLOCATION
9. CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE

VII. OTHER USES

1. RKG ASSOCIATES HIGHEST AND BEST USE LETTER
2. PARKING GARAGE AS REUSE MEMO (PLATZ)
3. CULTURAL/ACADEMIC SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
4. RETAIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
5. CONVENTION CENTER SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
6. LA MUSEUM ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT
7. RFP POINT SYSTEM IDEA
8. BATES MILL PARKING AGREEMENT SCHEMATIC

Task Force: Equal Cost Means Many Options

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

Sun-Journal: Task Force Update

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

Jan 5th Public Meeting

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 Task Force

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

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