BNAS reuse takes shape: Tenants, operators start to fill former Navy base
Next month, the Brunswick Naval Air Station will have its formal “disestablishment ceremony,” marking the end of military use of the 3,000-acre complex. Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, says he is pleased with the progress the reuse authority has made in transitioning the former Navy base into a civilian economic engine. Here are some highlights:
Brunswick Landing business park
Following the lead of Kestrel Aircraft Co., which last year committed to opening an aircraft manufacturing facility at the former base, FlightLevel Aviation announced it would be the fixed base operator for the new Brunswick Executive Airport, which opened earlier this month. Norwood, Mass.-based FlightLevel offers general aviation services, including fueling, maintenance and storage.
Kestrel, meanwhile, has moved some operations into Hangar 6. The aircraft manufacturing company is in the midst of its design and engineering work, and ready to start its certification process, says Levesque. Kestrel is expected to provide about 300 jobs once it begins manufacturing.
Resilient Communications, an IT firm that works on cyber-security, disaster recovery, secured communication systems and also operates a data center, opened its doors last week. The company, a spinoff of IBM, signed a 20-year lease at the base for two buildings that total 65,000 square feet. Levesque expects the company to bring 150 jobs to the area.
This week, Maine Tool and Machine expects to move into a 16,000-square-foot space to operate its high-end, precision machinery. The company had been based elsewhere in Brunswick, but needed more space, says Levesque.
Negotiations are under way to finalize a 20-year lease agreement with Molnlycke Health Care, a Swedish company that makes foam-based wound care products. The company, which has an affiliate operation in Wiscasset, is building a 79,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the base.
“Combined, these business represent about 580 jobs … it’s a good start,” says Levesque. “We’re working on six or seven other leases right now that will probably double that number of jobs. Hopefully, we’ll be announcing those over the next two or three months.”
In addition to attracting business tenants, the reuse authority has other irons in the fire.
Last week, it issued a request for bids for an operator of the former Navy lodge, a 250-room facility that is among the largest hotels in the state. Levesque says the hotel needs to be up and running quickly to accommodate travelers using the executive airport, and to house air show performers when the base hosts the Great State of Maine Air Show and Business Aviation Expo Aug. 26-28. The three-day event is expected to draw 70,000 visitors.
The long-range reuse plan calls for the hotel to be at the center of a convention center complex, with a build-out for a conference center. Levesque says the reuse authority has already taken steps to upgrade the 9-hole golf course on site by bringing in Harris Golf to manage the course, an arrangement that needs only a final sign-off by the Navy to be complete, he says.
Education
Levesque says he expects base property will be transferred to Southern Maine Community College this month that will allow the school to begin offering a curriculum focused on work force development suited to Brunswick Landing’s tenants. The curriculum will offer subjects like aeronautics, composites, renewable energy and information technology.
The plan calls for integration between SMCC and the University of Maine so, for instance, a student who gets pre-engineering training through SMCC can matriculate into an onsite university engineering program. Levesque says there is interest from Bath Iron Works to use specialized educational curriculum as well.
Housing
MRRA expects to take ownership of the land on which 1,000 units of base housing sit, which will signal the start of negotiations with developer George Schott, who owns the housing units. Levesque says the plan is to sell the land to Schott, who intends to market the housing to young families. Schott won a contract to house sailors working at BIW, who were formerly housed in the Navy lodge, in the base units. Levesque estimates as many as 350 Navy personnel can use the housing, depending on the shipyard’s construction and testing process.
Energy
A feasibility study on the Brunswick Renewable Energy Center is expected to be complete in September. The energy project intends to sustain research and development, testing, manufacturing and production of renewable energy for tenants and the community. The study is considering which technologies can be deployed – biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and hydrogen fuel cells – to power the former base and operate as a learning lab for new energy technologies.
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